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Many
folks think they know about Buddhism.
They have seen pictures of saffron robed monks on TV and have heard
something about enlightenment and being reborn as an ant!
That’s not Buddhism - it’s what some Buddhists do
and believe.
Buddhism is an ancient set of philosophies and practices that are based
upon the teachings of a guy from India. He was quite clear that he
taught each person depending upon the time, the person and the place.
What was appropriate two thousand years ago in a foreign country is not
necessarily right for today - or for me, here and now.
Many people seek answers in the reflections of reality that they see -
failing to look up from the murky waters and see the Moon clearly in
the sky above them.
The primary aim of Buddhism is to reveal your own Buddhahood or
enlightenment. This is achieved by manifesting Courage, Compassion and
Wisdom.
Courage takes many forms - the courage of the soldier or the courage of
the person suffering clinical depression to get out of bed.
Compassion does not mean being nice to people - it means taking action
to remove suffering. For one person that can mean sweet tea and
sympathy - and for another a good kick in the pants.
Wisdom is not to do with knowledge or education. It is simply using
information correctly in the moment.
Many folks don’t get wisdom - it’s too hard and
only for other folks - yet they forget how wise they are themselves.
A great example of wisdom is the fairy story of the Emperor’s
New Clothes. In that story there was only one wise person and that was
the child who asked why the Emperor was nude!
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