ABOUT BUDDHISM

Buddha  taught that everything depends upon the mind. Although each of us have a mind, in reality we know very little about its nature and function. If someone were to ask us what is the nature and function of our mind we would probably not be able to give a precise answer. Everyday we experience positive, negative, and neutral feelings and these are all different types of mind. Since it is our feelings that determine whether we are happy or not, it is very important to know the specific causes and functions of these different types of mind. If we have this wisdom then we can avoid all the sources of suffering and create only causes for happiness.

Most people assume that the causes of happiness and suffering exist external to and independent of their mind. Billions of people work very hard everyday to assemble all the external conditions they believe will make them happy, and that will make all their suffering go away. Yet no matter how often they rearrange these external conditions the best they can achieve is a temporary happiness. Buddha indicated that just achieving temporary happiness is not good enough, because even animals can do this. He discovered the path to permanent happiness and freedoms from suffering are to be found only within our own mind. It is only through exploring and understanding completely our inner world that we will be able understand the outer world.

How can we do this? It is through developing a supreme good heart. If we are able to develop the inner world of our mind we can develop special qualities such as unconditional love, compassion, and consideration for others. With these qualities our mind becomes very stable, peaceful, and pure. Such stability and peace is a sign that our mind has become very powerful. As a result we enjoy a clarity and suppleness of mind that was previously unknown. With these qualities it is easy to identify and abandon subtler and subtler levels of negativity and delusion. Gradually, all delusions and negativities are completely eliminated. In this way we solve all of our problems and become a pure and holy being. This spiritual power and experience enables us to lead everyone else to the same state.

In the modern world stress and impatience are on the rise. Our lives are very busy. Often it seems that we are racing against time or that our lives have become unmanageable and overly complicated. Why? It is because we are spending such a large portion of our time seeking external solutions to our problems. We accumulate wealth, possessions, status, and change partners, hoping that this will bring an end to all of our difficulties. The average person in North America has accumulated more wealth, possessions, and leisure time than at any other point in history. If we use our wisdom we shall see that happiness, contentment, and peace are not increasing, in fact, the opposite is happening. This clearly indicates that we are following the wrong path.

Buddhist teachings have something for everyone. Whether you are just curious, seeking relief from a particular problem, or desire a profound change in your way of thinking and behaving, Dharma teachings and meditation provide clear and practical solutions.

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