It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?
(Author: Buster Benson)
We all have the power to end our own suffering by understanding our minds and realizing that we don't have to be driven by their every whim. This is the one strong belief I possess that isn't shared by my closest friends and family. Of course, they believe that to some extent because they are not total delinquents, but they don't believe it to the extent I do and it shows in their often unhappy lives.
I have chosen to follow the teachings of the Buddha and to live a Buddhist lifestyle. This doesn't mean that I am a happy sorted person. No way! It simply means that I'm more in control of my mind than I've ever been before. It means I take responsibility for my thoughts and actions that arise from those thoughts. It means I'm aware of what I'm thinking and how my thinking causes me to suffer, and it means I have a place to work from, to start from, when trying to liberate myself from suffering.
I've started a year long blogathon in which I write everyday about the lessons I'm learning and my struggles with my practice. This will be research for a novel I want to write around the topic of liberation from suffering. However, it also keeps me in check with my thoughts and actions, and allows me to see where I'm going wrong. My blog has also connected me with others on a similar path who are also writing about their experience. We learn from each other, laugh with each other and commiserate when the going gets tough.
There are so many resources out there on the web that I never knew existed that have helped me with my path. I'm learning something new everyday. This also keeps my practice fresh and allows me to come at it with new eyes so that I don't become entrenched and stuck in my path without a teacher.
I'm also actively figuring out how to continue my practice when I move back stateside at the end of September. I am actively pursuing a Sangha that I can join because the Sangha is the heart of the practice.
Ultimately it was #reverb10 and 750words that started me on the firm path I'm on now after several unsuccessful attempts to dabble in Buddhism. For this I am eternally grateful.
Namaste
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