BUDDHA

BUDDHA PURNIMA is celebrated every year by hundreds of millions of Buddhists to reflect upon the birth, death and passing into Nirvana by the prince named "Siddhartha Gautama" who after Enlightenment became known as THE BUDDHA; The Enlightened One.

Buddhism, as we know of it today, encompasses a Pali tradition which was the language spoken by The Buddha and a later Sanskrit tradition, mainly originated in India and at the great "Nalanda University", and from there spreading to other countries.

Buddhism has, as all religions, a set of guidelines for people to follow to help us stay within the boundaries of a sound, ethical way of life.

One of those is THE TEN VIRTUES as opposite to THE TEN NON-VIRTUES.

There are three for the body; four for the speech and three for the mind.

Since one main focus for me in my life, and through this website, is mind training, I have chosen to elaborate those three latter aspects of our thoughts, and mind.

NON-VIRTUES of the MIND:
WRONG VIEWS:
This is seen as a form of ignorance as to the way events/beings exist.
We often perceive especially other humans as having some sort of permanent/never changing core, which we then label as good, bad or neutral; most often according to whether that person has helped us or not.
From mind training we know, and I am sure you also have experienced this for yourself, it is possible to change our own mind and personality. From that we can conclude we are not a fixed existence, but change due to circumstances and training. And of course this goes for others, as well.

HARMFUL INTENT:
This is a negative mindset, which creates anger and hatred; someone was "crossing our path" in life; we project ill will and harmful intent towards that person; next comes hatred and anger and before we know of it, we create all sorts of bad karma.

COVETOUSNESS:
This is a strong attachment to and desire for what others have; it manifests as envy and jealousy and is a pattern of greed (and fear).
If they have it, I also want it.
Often times it is connected to "The Eight Worldly Concerns" which is an unhealthy obsession with, what others think and say about us. Especially in these social media times, this can easily lead to all sorts of pretence, shamelessness, misrepresentation and character assassination of others.

BAD KARMA follows:
These wrong views lay the foundation for a mountain of bad karma.
Remember: karma is not the result; karma is the cause which we ourselves are responsible for. Better create good causes...

VIRTUES of the MIND:
RIGHT VIEWS:
View others as companion travellers on the "Road of Life" and try to see the good in them. Understand that everything is constantly changing and, if possible, contribute to a better environment for people you meet.
You know: the shortest distance between two people is a genuine smile...coming from a warm heart...

POSITIVE INTENT:
When we turn our attention to the well-being of others, we are no longer the centre of the universe. We are just one human being in a world of billions of other beings, Wish for others to be free from suffering and for them to meet with good causes and conditions to live their lives to the best of their ability.
If you can not help someone (and some times we can not) then at least do them no harm...

GENEROSITY:
The antidote to covetousness is generosity: be generous with your time, money, resources, energy; give, my friends, because we become bigger in spirit when we are generous and smaller when we are miserly.
An open heart or a closed heart; that is our choice.

GOOD KARMA follows:
Do not underestimate the power of your thoughts, feelings and what goes on in your mind.
Mindfulness is a good thing; simply be aware of, what is going on inside of you. Positive patterns within your mind will eventually, when the right causes and conditions come together, lead to beneficial speech and actions.
So watch your thoughts, feelings and mind, my dear friends, because that in and of itself is a great protection.

Be mindful...wake up...watch...