Spiritual Path: My Perspective
We all started life pure, uncorrupted and without the ego self. But unfortunately over time through conditioning, education, environmental influence etc.etc. we gradually build up this so called ego-self and become more and more alienated from our original pureness. Losing this origin is like losing the ancher of our boat. We drift endlessly under the mercy of the wind and currents.
Cultivating Tao is one of the many ways we can embark on to rediscover this pureness. The world nowaday is like an endless 'rat race'. We seem to have forgotten how to be still anymore. Living in this 'rat race' we seem to spend a significant amount of our time either in the past or in the future which does not exist. The only thing that is real and significant is the present or 'now'. The frightening thought is, if we are not living our life in the present, it is like wasting our precious life away. Once it is gone it is gone forever!
Buddha told a parable: "Once, a man encountered a tiger in the wilderness .... 'Help!' He was running for his life. Suddenly he ran to a cliff. In desperation, with both hands he grabbed hold of an over-hanging vine while the tiger growled menacingly below with its jaws wide open. On the top two mice began to gnaw away at the vine. 'Oh no!' Suddenly, he saw a luscious strawberry near him. He plucked the strawberry and popped it into his mouth ..... 'Such an exquisite taste!'
"Not to think about the past and the future, but to cherish one moment after another is real fortune."
To me, meditation is about living itself. It is about awareness, concentration and focus on what I am doing at the present time i.e putting 100% into whatever I am doing. For example if I am washing dishes, I am mindful about washing dishes. My mind is not wondering. I am aware of what I am doing and also appreciate the little pleasures it brings e.g feeling the nice warm water and a sense of accomplishment no matter how small.
I have been playing badminton almost most of my life without realising that it is a very beneficial form of meditation. When I am playing I am totally focus in the physical activities and my mind is not wondering or thinking about anything else. It is 'still'. It is resting. Besides reducing stress it also gives me the added benefit of physical well-being. But in order to sustain and derive maximum benefit from the activity it is important to consider the enjoyment aspect of the activity. It is difficult to sustain an activity if we hate doing it. Of course in reality it is not always possible to only do things or activities I enjoy. But the important thing is to 'accept' the activity whatever it might be and look for the positives and the little pleasures it brings.
An activity or a task is just an activity or a task, no more or no less. I am the one who is responsible for labelling or 'deciding' whether it is good or bad, interesting or boring etc. So it is totally under my control. For example, gardening, it could be a boring and time wasting chore or it could be an interesting, rewarding and relaxing activity.
Meditation helps me to anchor my life and thus allowing me to relate and see things as they are. If I am on a boat which is drifting, it is very difficult to tell where other things are relative to me. I remember when I was young I used to travel across to Penang Island with my family on the ferry. Each time we were on the ferry my father played a trick on me. As the ferry was starting to leave the jetty, my father would say to me, "Look the jetty is moving!" It was so real I used to believe him.
It is very easy to get lost on our journey of life if we don't have any fundamental values and guidance. It is like going into the bush or forest without any basic knowledge of navigation and without a map or compass. For me I find the Mantra by the Dalai Lama provides a very good 'map & compass' for my life journey.
Links
Below are some interesting links if you need further information:
1. Buddhist Australia Directory
