Buddha's inspirational words
Let me share AN 5.57 - Upajjhatthana Sutta, which presents five subjects for frequent recollection:
1. "I am subject to aging, I have not gone beyond aging"
2. "I am subject to illness, I have not gone beyond illness"
3. "I am subject to death, I have not gone beyond death"
4. "I must be separated and parted from all that is dear and beloved to me"
5. "I am the owner of my kamma, heir to my kamma, born of my kamma, related to my kamma, abide supported by my kamma. Whatever kamma I shall do, whether good or evil, of that I shall be the heir"
The Buddha explains that these reflections serve to:
- Reduce pride in youth
- Reduce pride in health
- Reduce pride in life
- Reduce attachment
- Stop unwholesome actions
- Encourage good actions
These contemplations help develop:
- Urgency (saṃvega)
- Non-attachment
- Ethical behavior
- Mindfulness of impermanence
Would you like to explore how to incorporate these reflections into daily practice?
@glisteningCat90
Thanks for sharing 🥰
Urgency & non-attachment at the same time??...
@slowdecline48 my basic understanding of the topic offers these thoughts as an answer to your questions.
Urgency-the time we have in life is limited so we can make best use of this life by doing virtuous and positive actions to create beneficial karma. Death is certain but the time of death is not so we are urged to use this precious human life wisely because we never know how much time we have left.
Nonattachment- What we grasp at trying to hold onto is futile. It is not to say we cannot experience happiness and joy but these are only temporary and clinging to them brings disappointment. Nonattachment means we participate in life but we do not have unrealistic expectations that relationships will always be the same and our possessions will always make us happy.
So urgency to use this life wisely and the wisdom of nonattachment so we will not grasp at things that are only temporary and changing.
@soulsings
The non-attachment bothers me. Humans are a social species for which I believe attachment is a fundamental part of feeling safe. Amd I'm not convinced denial of that is helpful. I cannot believe that being Buddhist doesn't come with a sense of belonging.
I like the concepts behind the idea - the acceptance of loss and change and thus not creating unrealistic expectations. I just wish they chose a different word for it.
@Clio9876 I struggle with what is attachment and is it good or bad. In wanting relationships, I asked someone about attachment and they steered me to the idea in Tibetan Buddhism is not to avoid relationships with people but to avoid thinking our happiness can only come from outside ourselves. We have relationships with people but there is also a recogntion that life is changing moment to moment and one of us may lose a relationship in multiple ways.
A simple analogy is an ice cream cone. We eat the ice cream cone mindfully, slowly, not wolfing it down, but after it is gone I am not grieving that it is gone but just accepting the experience for what it is.
@soulsings
You remind me of a sweet I bought as a child. It cost me half my pocket money and it was shaped like an animal. I couldn't eat it. The fear of the loss I would cause myself, if I ate it, overruled any enjoyment I thought I'd get from eating it. I kept it for years. The total opposite of your example. I think the fear of loss is quite deep routed in me.
But here's some news I think you might have had a hand in inspiring.... I went and talked to a buddhist monk yesterday. That's a first for me. I found it helpful and plan to go again. I'm proud of myself for going. For asking for help. For trusting that I can take what helps and leave the rest. I'm grateful for their kindness.
@Clio9876 that is a first step in exploring options. I hope it helps oyou in some way.
