Buddhist Thoughts

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No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.    --Buddha

So, this past week, I've been learning a little about Buddhism and Modern Psychology. I've always been interested in Buddhist philosophy, but as I understand more of the specific tenets, I have to say, I am impressed. What I've learned so far includes the Four Noble Truths, the first two of which express the Buddha's diagnosis of the human predicament. The First Truth is that suffering exists. The Second Truth is that the cause of suffering is a "craving" or "clinging" to feelings, emotions, and beliefs. Mostly, we do not see things clearly, so by letting go of illusion, we can cease our suffering.

I've been trying to be more "Buddhist" this week by not allowing my negative feelings to affect my thinking. It's not easy, let me tell you. Once you've become so conditioned to think a certain way based on feelings and preconceived notions about your world, coming out of that conditioning is like  wearing new skin. It requires changing your whole way of seeing yourself and the world.

I've discovered that my husband, unbeknownst to him, is really quite a Buddhist. He approaches problems pragmatically, and he does not get caught up in feelings and emotions. The result? He is happy and his suffering minimal. I have always had a certain respect for him and his ability to stay centered. I don't know how he does it, really. It's just a part of his "enlightened" nature. I admire it and hope to emulate his easy ways with less resistance from my own persnickety, analytical mind.

So far this week, the thought that I can be more at peace by letting negative feelings go is a start. And I'm all about starting things. It's early in the game, so there's time to unlearn the habits of my mind and change my mental processes. I'm up for the challenge, and it's not going to hurt to try.