Tu Viện Quảng Đức105 Lynch Rd, Fawkner, Vic 3060. Australia. Tel: 9357 3544. quangduc@quangduc.com* Viện Chủ: HT Tâm Phương, Trụ Trì: TT Nguyên Tạng   

Releasing Your Baggage: The Buddha and Deliverance

03/12/201016:33(Xem: 3198)
Releasing Your Baggage: The Buddha and Deliverance

Baggage. Every single human being carries some sort of baggage. Some carry more than others, but none are free to walk this earth without some weight in their hearts, souls, and minds. I am only 20 years old and there are times when I feel my baggage weighs me down the way an anchor stops a ship from sailing. Buddhism is unique in the case that facing your baggage is part of the path of Enlightenment.


Recently, I was fortunate enough to speak with a monk (Thay Nguyen Tam) – a monk who phrased the releasing of one’s personal baggage so eloquently that I couldn’t forget it. He said, “If you take a breath in and you do not take a breath out, you will die. In this way, whatever evils are thrown at you, you must allow them to leave your mind, or your will die.”

What touched my heart the most, though, was his desire for me to not have my heart “poisoned” by the evils in the world. He asked of me to let go not just for my sake, but for his sake, because he would not be able to stand seeing a pure heart spoil. His teachings drove me nearly to tears, as I had never been shown such true love and care from a monk who truly wanted to see me succeed in this world. It made me think of The Buddha, whose teachings have always seemed heavenly and beautiful to me, yet extremely difficult to follow. However, after hearing this monk’s sincere words, I opened by books of the Buddha’s teachings to see where I could read more about his lesson. I found the following excerpt:

“If I were to get angry, that will be a hindrance to me. If you get angry, that would only be a hindrance to you. Exchanging one anger for another anger only increases anger” - The Buddha

This quote was in response to another man of a different religion who visited the Buddha and his disciples. There, with his disciples present, he mocked the Buddha, insulting him and putting him down. All the while, the Buddha sat quietly, not saying one word. After the man left, the Buddha’s disciples asked him why he said nothing to a man who was clearly out of line. The Buddha responded with the above quote, stating that we should always see our anger as only a hindrance. At times, we feel the need to yell back or to reciprocate any evils that we are given. We view our anger as a right. Many times, we hear people tell each other, “You had a right to be angry!” However, whether or not your anger is justified does not reduce its ability to hinder you.

The Buddha elaborated on this, stating that one’s anger stops one from seeing clearly. If we are without anger, than we can truly listen.

The monk’s teachings came at a time when I needed to hear them most, which just goes to show the serendipity of the world. The Buddha delivers to you what you need when you need it, and we should never lose faith in that.
Gửi ý kiến của bạn
Tắt
Telex
VNI
Tên của bạn
Email của bạn
14/05/2011(Xem: 3804)
The purpose of meditation is to gain realizations leading to the cessation of delusion and superstition. This cessation depends, first of all, on recognizing the character or function of the deluded mind.
13/05/2011(Xem: 5132)
Buddhism was an important ingredient in the philosophical melange of the Indian subcontinent for over a millennium. From an inconspicuous beginning a few centuries before Christ, Buddhist scholasticism gained in strength until it reached a peak of influence and originality in the latter half of the first millennium.
13/05/2011(Xem: 4692)
When Buddhism first entered China from India and Central Asia two thousand years ago, Chinese favourably disposed towards it tended to view it as a part or companion school of the native Chinese Huang–Lao Daoist tradition, a form of Daoism rooted in texts and practices attributed to Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor) and Laozi.
13/05/2011(Xem: 4261)
Science is the cornerstone of the European-American culture that has transformed the entire globe over the last few centuries. Buddhism is a deeply rooted religious tradition of Asia, now emerging as a powerful global voice. Science and Buddhism both address the nature of human experience, but in quite different ways.
13/05/2011(Xem: 3467)
We always use the word, "ego." But although we're all the time saying, "ego, ego, ego," we don't realize the ego's psychological aspects, its mental attitude. We interpret the ego as some sort of physical entity. Therefore, it is necessary to discover that the ego is mental, not physical. That's so worthwhile.
13/05/2011(Xem: 3929)
Lama.Thubten.Yeshe.(15.5.1935, 5:00 LMT (6:05 GMT), Töling Dechen/Lhasa/TIB - 3.3.1984, 5:07 PST, Los Angeles/USA), also called "Hippie Lama" was one of the most outstanding personalities of the Seventieth and early Eighties. Beside Chögyam Trungpa he was one of the first Tibetan teachers, who managed to explain Buddhism in a modern and unorthodox way. The result of a careful study of our Western mentality and culture.
12/05/2011(Xem: 3649)
The Buddha taught so that beings would be happy and satisfied. Having attained the ultimate happiness of enlightenment himself, out of love and compassion for each sentient being he wanted to share his experience with them all. But he could not transplant his realizations into the minds of others, remove their suffering by hand or wash away their ignorance with water-he could only teach them to develop their minds for themselves, as he had done. Thus he showed the path to enlightenment.
11/05/2011(Xem: 3389)
The enlightened attitude, the bodhimind that has love and compassion as its basis, is the essential seed producing the attainment of buddhahood. Therefore it is a subject that should be approached with the pure thought, "May I thus gain enlightenment in order to be of greatest benefit to the world."
11/05/2011(Xem: 3745)
On May 8, 2011 His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave the Medicine Buddha empowerment and a public talk on “Peace Through Inner Peace.” Both of these programswere part of the theme “One Heart, One Mind, One Universe” of this visit to Minneapolis, which is co-hosted by the Center for Spirituality & Healing (CSH) at the University of Minnesota and the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM)... His Holiness said extreme self-centered attitude and narrow vision not only did not enable the development of inner peace but also could be harming people physically.
06/05/2011(Xem: 4518)
To practise Dharma is not merely to carry the name of being a buddhist. Nor is it to make certain superficial alterations in our lifestyle. Dharma practice means the total integration of our minds and the Dharma.
facebook youtube google-plus linkedin twitter blog
Nguyện đem công đức này, trang nghiêm Phật Tịnh Độ, trên đền bốn ơn nặng, dưới cứu khổ ba đường,
nếu có người thấy nghe, đều phát lòng Bồ Đề, hết một báo thân này, sinh qua cõi Cực Lạc.

May the Merit and virtue,accrued from this work, adorn the Buddhas pureland,
Repay the four great kindnesses above, andrelieve the suffering of those on the three paths below,
may those who see or hear of these efforts generates Bodhi Mind, spend their lives devoted to the Buddha Dharma,
the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association of Victoria
Tu Viện Quảng Đức | Quang Duc Monastery
Most Venerable Thich Tam Phuong | Senior Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang
Address: Quang Duc Monastery, 105 Lynch Road, Fawkner, Vic.3060 Australia
Tel: 61.03.9357 3544 ; Fax: 61.03.9357 3600
Website: http://www.quangduc.com
http://www.tuvienquangduc.com.au (old)
Xin gửi Xin gửi bài mới và ý kiến đóng góp đến Ban Biên Tập qua địa chỉ:
quangduc@quangduc.com