Sitting Under the Bodhi Tree

Somewhere around four thousand years ago a young man, well educated and from a wealthy family, ran away from home. Having been sheltered into adulthood he was shocked to see the everyday suffering that so many people had to put up with. This realization sent him on a quest into a kind of religious asceticism. He spent years depriving himself of any comforts and ended up more confused than ever, hungry, dressed in rags and generally shunned by society. Deeply aware that he was no closer to discovering an answer for why life should suck so much he sat down under a tree and vowed not to move until he knew how to help people get along better in the wide and terrible world. This is what he came up with.

1. There is suffering in the world.
This isn't as obvious as it looks on the surface. He's not only talking about car wrecks and train crashes, floods or earthquakes. He was talking about the shitty things we think, the anger we feel, the sadness that permeates everything we touch and the hopelessness we sometimes all feel. Suffering. He's not telling you to accept it, he's telling you to recognize it, look at it and differentiate between suffering and those moments of happiness and contentment. You sometimes suffer.

2. There are reasons we suffer.
The root causes of our suffering. The root cause of the pain you feel is not the coffee table but the inattention that made you walk into it. The root of suffering isn't always the obvious answer. You don't hate your job because you get yelled at all the time, you hate if because your not doing what you want to do, what you know is right for you and what could fulfill your personal desires.

3. There is a way to feel better.
There are very concrete ways for you to be happier. Steps to take.

4. This is what you need to do:

1) Take stock of how you view the world. Perception is all we've got but if yours is that you're screwed you won't get far. Do you want to be happy? Be critical of what you see, but work at not holding onto perceptions that might not do you any good. Are you biased? Why?

2) Think about it. Are you sure? What are you doing? Why do I do this? Think about the things you think. Right thinking means think about what is right.

3) Pay attention to the world around you. When you drive, drive; when you eat, eat; when you wash the dishes just wash the dishes. This is much more difficult than it sounds. What do you think about while you are vacuuming? Probably not vacuuming.

4) Be careful what you say. You don't mean it but since no one else can possibly 'know' what you mean watch your mouth. If you don't want to spread it around don't say something stupid or aggressive or childish. Think about what you want to convey and then say that.

5) Do the right thing. We all know what's wrong and right in a general sort of way. If its wrong to steal then don't steal. If its wrong to spit on your little brother then don't spit on him. This, as it turns out, is pretty hard to do too, for some reason.

6) Make a real effort. If you've got something to do then do it right. Not half-assed or tomorrow. Just do it. Now. The right way.

7) Concentrate. Active concentration is concentrating on the present moment; what's going on right now. Be aware of what it is you are doing. Do you ever drive somewhere and not remember the specifics? No conscious memory of what exit you took means you are not concentrating. This is hard, too.

8)Do what you want. I mean, do what is right for you. Are you a butcher AND a vegetarian? A school teacher who hates kids? If you have a profession that spreads around ill-will you will become ill-willed. Who's gonna want to hang around you then?

That's it. Seriously.

Do I believe it? Yeah. I mean, none of these suggestions will lead me into a worse place than I am now. Most of it is a kind of common sense our parents try to teach us when we are young. I really don't know too many people who actually live their lives according to these precepts, though. Not personally. What the hell is wrong with us? Are we trying to be unhappy? Why, yes we are. So the next time you hear yourself saying, "My life sucks.", think about why it sucks and think about this post and think about whether you're really trying all that hard to change it. I'm done now.