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This site is not specifically Buddhist but there
are many aspects of Buddhist thought that are evident in what is found here.
The idea of
enjoying what you have, not wanting what you
don't have and working for the benefit of others
is Buddhist. So is the idea that what you are
is a product of what you have done in the past
while your future is being determined by what
you do now. A Buddhist thought is that you have
what you need for happiness within you and only
need to bring it out. The Buddha said that no
matter what one does, it should be done to the
best of one's ability.
A buddha is one
who is awakened and certainly this site promotes
the idea that the popular culture of America is
one that deceives, obscures, distracts and
diverts us from reality.
It is possible to
be happy with life as it is without the promise
of an afterlife or the idea of a supernatural
power watching over us. This isn't to say that
there is no pain, disappointment or suffering,
only that it is inherent in life and can be
overcome. Our problem is that we expect too much
and are distressed if we don't live up to
standards that are not our own. By giving others
power to approve of us, in what we wear, how we
look, what we own, how much money we have, our
happiness flies from our grasp and always
remains out of reach.
Suppose life is
just what it appears to be: a period of time
from birth to death in which both effort and
chance bring experiences, something which, when
it ends, is over, a completely natural process
no different than it is for animals. No
promises, no earnest hoping, no supplication can
prevent death, but just as death is inevitable,
it is not to be feared for no punishment or
reward follow. Our mortality is the ultimate
test of enjoying what you have without wanting
what you don't have. To me it seems that the
inevitable course of taking what comes while
growing old can be felt as a curse or an
incredible opportunity. It isn't given to us to
know why but that is no reason for despair.
Salvation is
something to be sought and obtained in life. As the Buddha said, work out your own salvation
with diligence.
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