REFLECTIONS JUNE 7

Reflection – June 7

The Venerable Viradhammo from Tisarana states that Buddhists contemplate life at two different levels, the personal level, and the Dharma level. At the personal level, we are dealing with you, and me, and the five skandhas, morality, social action etc. At the Dharma level we are dealing with liberating the heart. Searching inward to discover the truth of the Dharma. He states, “If we view those two worlds skilfully, we find a balance between conventional reality and the inner work.”

I’ve been learning that, to be skilful, I must develop my inner skills in order to affectively use my outer skills, or my body. I must inwardly work at, and discover that the five skandhas (body, feeling, perception, mental constructs, and cognizance) change over time. So I should not react to situations, but be patient and wait until my reactionary “reflex” passes and I can more skilfully respond to day-to-day situations. If I’m angry now, why not wait until that anger passes instead of passing on that feeling to others!

So the body, with all it’s sensory inputs to the brain, must be put on hold so that the brain can investigate each situation and respond constructively. A Buddhist must develop patience in order to use their body effectively! As a Buddhist, balance is needed between the body and the mind.

Don