|
 |
Finding the Invisible World
|
|
Our everyday view is really based on what the Buddha called “craving” or “thirst.” This thirst, also called “attachments” is the basis of our whole view of the world. Our view is literally self-centered; we see the world in terms of our own needs and understanding. With this kind of viewpoint, we cannot judge or discriminate anything with true objectivity. Our view can never be a “right view.” The Buddha taught that the cure for our suffering and unhappiness resides in the eightfold path, which begins with having a “right view” or a “right understanding.” Unfortunately, the basis of our actions tend to be “wrong views,” which are what the Buddha called “ignorance.” That means that, when we look at the world, we are not seeing it as it truly is, we are mainly seeing a distorted reflection of our own limited understanding of what is there. That is the difference between ordinary people and Buddhas. Buddhas see what is truly there, they see True Reality, the “True and Real.” We look at the world through a filter made of our calculations and self-interest. We live in the world of relative truth, which conforms to our limited understanding and self-centered minds.
If the world of true reality was somewhere else, far removed from us, we could never be affected by the Buddha’s wheel of light, shining on us blind and ignorant people. We can see this light in some way; it embraces and transforms us. But this can only happen when we allow ourselves to doubt the absoluteness of our own views, when we realize that our views are flawed. Once that happens, I think, the Buddha’s light begins to illuminate us through the cracks in our facade. But actually, the Buddha’s Compassion is the cause of our self-questioning in the first place.
We encounter the invisible world through the benevolence of the Buddha: we have experiences that jar us from the sleep of our certainties to the wakefulness of understanding. We all meet as teachers whose presence and example help us to transcend our limited selves. We don’t discover the invisible world casually; we really encounter it in a living way. It moves us and wakes us up.
Throughout our lives we will continue to be affected by our limited understanding. Our behavior will often be conditioned by our attachments, anger, selfishness and calculation. We will never be totally at peace or completely happy. But awareness of the invisible world is truly what makes us human beings. Even though it is a dim awareness, the Buddha’s light, which reveals the true nature of things, transforms our anger into kindness and our self-centered calculation into gratitude for every aspect of the gift of life.
|
|
