In India, I was aware of the omnipresent religion; I was minimalism but at the same time aware of destructive overconsumption; vegetarianism; the place of my parents in my heart, the hyper flexibility that I adore; dirt and therefore my immune system, etc.
All these themes are part of the philosophy of Buddhist life. We think about it or not, we disregard it or not. This is the way I take them, in my daily life; how to do, to think, to express myself, to act.
Diet.
To become a vegetarian, for example. People defend it, are opposed to it. Dualistic vision. We do not care about the end, there is nothing to say because it is a personal decision and everyone should remain indifferent to the decisions of the other. Sensitivity and awareness, quests and other issues, all this remains on the table because it is equally useless to turn a blind eye to the existing debate. A group has risen for a reason, real or absurd, but it generates voices, followers, soldiers.
For me, it's a question of obvious spirituality. For others, because the blood group intended to become veg. For others, it's a question of ecology, protection of wildlife, taste ...
This aren’t a single solution. The world is made in this way that there will be an infinity of everything that forms Unity.
An infinity of explanations for an infinity of subjects.
An infinity of choices, rejections and renewals;
An infinity of ways to fall on our feet...
And so, a 100% personal perspective! (This is what makes humans unique and differentiates a sheep from unusual personalities).
To stay open to the beliefs of the other, ask 'why' instead of judging from the outset, or saying 'it's bad', do it sincerely and not on the surface, it's a start. The Manichean vision is destructive and only separates potential unions just because of an immaterial idea: judgment, comparison, duality. That's what Buddha fought for and helped others. I have always hated competition, monopoly, ratings, numerical efficiency and now I know why.
Everything is unique and at the same time everything is infinite.
Religion
It does not matter if hell or heaven is on earth or in lives we do not have access to, if we have to drink soup to forget our life and go to reincarnation, if Krishna has actually created universe with Parvati, or if it's rather Allah. In Cambodia, I found a relevant book that came out of a period of doubt. The Book introduced me to Baha'u'llah, a kind of messenger and the last of our generation, after Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Christ, Mohamed and the Bab, gather followers hidden around the world (Lotus Time to Delhi is a place of worship). It is the Baha'i faith, born in Iran, still being followed, although in a conservative way.
The book had a nice description of their belief and their organization. Baha’is see the religions of the world as a whole, a chronology that different cultures have shaped according to their way of life. Religions should not distance themselves as they unfortunately do, but rather develop the decency and benevolence of humans with humans. Divine power awakens with love, not hatred. The golden rule is common to the whole world, it is the ethic of reciprocity.
"Do not do to others what you would not want the other to do to you"
It does not matter concretely what is 'before' or 'after'. Because before all these questions and reflections, what is important is to sincerely recognize humanity as one and the same population. Our house is the planet earth, not our land.
It is important to surround yourself with sincerity, benevolence, to give an arm to a disabled or a GPS to somebody lost, when they give us in return their smile, a Bounty or a huge amount of love.
It is important to recognize the usefulness of the superficial, of materialism, the sensitive nature than impassive concrete. Respect Nature…
It is important to recognize that we are not always right, that we cannot know everything, feel everything, know everyone, that being weak and tired is human, or being excited about the approach of a good news is rewarding.
There is a lot of confusion about Buddhism (in terms of lifestyle, not religion). It's a simple philosophy that goes beyond the emotions of norms. Through awakening, self-knowledge and openness, it is to admit that we know nothing definitively when it comes to putting oneself in the place of others. On the other hand, getting to know ourselves, yes a thousand times. Ban dualistic vision of things, open to the imagination, madness, acceptance. Let’s go back to modesty, simplicity, humility.
Pain
An injustice, an extreme excitement that suddenly falls, a destructive loneliness, a deep depression, a direct 'no', a job that is too difficult or even impossible, a pitfall, an way impossible to avoid, a trial, death ... Suffering is everywhere and it’ll never disappear. If we never give it a reason, if we do not accept that it is really there, we open the door for it, we give it importance. It settles, stays, and orders pizzas for us because we do not dare to disturb it. We give up because it is really delicate and we miss something to make it out (creativity, courage, finance, support). It's normal. To make it go away is to recognize that it is there and to find reasons, sometimes reluctantly, to understand how it ended up coming in and settling in -from outside as well as from inside.
So, in the depths of despair, when we are convinced that a breakaway is futile, it is possible to invent something new, crazy, to act in the opposite direction. To find a reason for suffering is to suffer more for a time, it is to admit many opposites to our beliefs, our education, to the influence that has built us.
Patience is the only quality that is the most difficult to acquire in order to admit one suffering. It can be anything: harassment, a complex, a break, a terrible shock...
And there is never a single problem. We are not alone in feeling the millions of things that separate us from our neighbors. Hundreds of strangers’ experiences are similar every day, only they do not know each other to share it. Social networks and a lot of options exist to meet, to dare, to speak.
Once we have agreed, we understand why the suffering is there (and it is not only the fault of others, nor our own fault, it is a mixture of everything) and that we found a reason why our balance was suddenly destroyed or over time, that we took a step back from the unfortunate event and start again finding solutions to reach the virtuous circle, it is the beginning of the way.
It takes an immense, respectable courage.
This way of thinking improves balance, judgment in duality, patience. It heals some wounds. It avoids certain conflicts, reassures then motivates ... also makes a lot of doubt about the scale of the possible risks to be taken. It's so motivating to talk to people who recovered or are struggling ...
Time
Allow yourself to take some time to rest and start again. Stop forcing yourself until overstep the marks. Take time without thinking that you are losing it. This is not the saying " retreat to better advance" no, it is to recognize that we need it. Listen to you to keep the balance that suits you the most and show indifference if your neighbor finds you lazy, because it follows another form of balance.In this way, to take the time, to do things better, actively, durably, we smile more, we savor the satisfaction, we forgive the refusal or failures, we recover faster. We listen. We accept. That's all.Being selfish to prolong altruism.
How powerful.
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