Much can be said about the Buddha's teachings, about the importance of meditation, wisdom, compassion, how we are all interconnected. Of course, many other spiritual traditions share these same attributes. Here is what Buddhism really gets right:
The focus of the practice is on our own mind.
This practice is going to take awhile.
You are not to jump right to benefitting others and compassionate activity. You should not get lost in working in projects outside yourself. Bring the focus inside, learn to recognize your own needs, your own wounds, your own limitations.
As you learn to open your own mind, to heal your own heart, you naturally become more open and available to others.
You can't shortcut this step. There is no escaping this requirement, if you try to avoid it then it will always be a limiting factor in your life.
You are the limit, and the throttle.
Is it possible to miss out on life during this self-absorbed search? Where's the balance?
ReplyDeleteGreat question and we could suppose that certain people would become rather obsessive in this journey, focusing on their own self and identity exclusively. A counter argument would be that are these same people already self obsessed in other ways, maybe they are wrapped up in their thoughts and ideas, maybe they are very introverted, maybe they are very career driven, etc. The most tangible way to determine if this is the case is to simply observe their presence among others- are they always telling their own story, sharing their thoughts and ideas but not actually listening or being present for others? A genuine practice opens us up to be more present in our lives, both for ourself and for others. Presence is the ground and presence is the gift that we have to discover within ourselves.
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