In the Moment

After reading a very well rounded history of the Buddha’s life in Karen Armstrong’s Buddha, I proceeded to learn more about the make-up of Buddhism, the principles that are the basis of it. I turned to The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who has gained a Western following, especially in Plum Village, a monastic community in France. 

This book very much represented my view of Buddhism in that it was a very simple book. Everything was very clearly written out, and I found this monk to be, in a sense humorous and instructive. Thich Nhat Hanh has opened my eyes as to how the Buddhism I grew up with is very different from that which is generally considered Buddhism. After reading this book, the Noble Eightfold Path made much more sense to me. I was introduced to these ideas recently through a monk who resides in Alberta, Canada, a monk who has become very familiar in my household. Listening to this monk was probably my very first legitimate introduction to Buddhism. This book fully developed the ideas I learned there. The Noble Eightfold Path involves 8 parts which I believe if practiced little by little, even if enlightenment is not achieved, could truly help relieve some of the suffering we as humans experience. Right view, thinking, mindfulness, speech, actions, diligence, concentration, and livelihood all depends on the person who chooses to practice them to be connected to the present. I think even for those who are not practicing Buddhists, the idea of being in the moment is still an important one. We often let our minds wander much too far from where we are at that moment, lessening out concentration on any one thing. It’s encouraging to know that by practicing these eight pieces, one could establish a more peaceful whole. It’s interest to me to see how each of these parts relies on each other. One naturally leads to the other and so on and so forth.   

That brings me to my next observation. Since embarking on this journey, I’ve been paying close attention to everything that could fall under the category of “religious” which goes on around me. In these observations, the more I realize how hard it is to achieve this sought after peaceful state of mind in the world we live in. Last weekend, I found myself accompanying my mother to temple to what could only be described as a Buddhist mother’s day. With my limited yet newfound knowledge, I found myself leaving frustrated. First of all, I now feel a desire to leave temple feeling lighter, and calmer, and yet that was not the case. I became frustrated because I could not tell the difference between ritual and “the show”. I felt that the foundation of Buddhism was lost and what I was witnessing was not at all what it I expected. I didn’t feel like I was part of a group of people coming together to practice the aforementioned eight factors, but a group of people were there for the sake of being there. At the end of the day, I guess that is just another source of suffering which I should strive to overcome.