The Wind and Leaves – We Wake Up As Angels But Fall Asleep As Demons
Man must see that nothing really is, but that everything is always becoming and changing. Nothing stands still. Everything is being born, growing and dying. The very instant a thing reaches its height, it begins to decline. The law of rhythm is in constant operation. There is no reality. There is no enduring quality, fixity or substantiality of anything. Nothing is permanent but change. Man must see all things evolving from other things and re-solving him to other things, a constant action or reaction, inflow or outflow, building up or tearing down, creation or destruction, birth and growth and death. Nothing is real, and nothing endures but change.
The Kabala
The purpose of Buddhist chanting is to remind us of the sacrifice the Buddha made for his people in order to achieve nobility or enlightenment. Every Sunday, I bow to the Buddha in reverence for disciplines he has shared with me and others all over the world. Buddhist chanting also helps us become more connected to ourselves. During chanting and taking refuge within the Buddha, we’re able to see that all living things are constant. That aging is inevitable. That you’re accountable for your own actions. That you’re all things in this universe and you give thanks for creation and life. That hurting and killing is wrong and you love and cherish all of creation. The Buddha teaches us how you might lose yourself to find yourself. You’ve got to lose your mind to find your mind.
We Wake Up As Angels and Fall Asleep As Demons
A Buddhist monk once said,
“We wake up as angels, and fall asleep as demons.”
This is because of our wanting… The monk calls us demons because of our desire for ultimate security. Struggling with the desire to acquire more is probably one of my biggest vices. We’re constantly collecting things – people with influence, clothes, cars and more. We learn this behavior from other adults who are too addicted to security and affluence. Money has become more than just a tool we use in order to survive. Living beyond our means has become a lifestyle choice and it is a choice I readily and eagerly play into by defect. According to Buddhist philosophy, money is nice but it is not necessary for a fruitful life. I think this is the greatest teaching I can learn.
Because the truth is, the more we have the more we want more. And when is enough, enough? When do we stop honoring ourselves in order to achieve security?
But it doesn’t even end with the wanting of security. We’re constantly seeking different highs. We don’t want to feel our suffering because we’re used to numbing our own pain.
In every moment we have the potential to choose ourselves for a greater good. But do we really choose ourselves, our highest self? Within the thousands of possibilities, there is essentially only one that is union with you and your highest self – or god. Buddhist believe that this choice is only possible through getting rid of all superficial feelings and possibilities of being and thinking without contemplation about executing all things that hinder you from your highest potential. That’s a mouth full to swallow. The truth is, I am just a seeker of enlightenment, and I hardly, truly live by any of these principles. But I work on myself every day to be a better person.
That is why I become aware
In order to be able to be closer to your highest self and god, you must become aware of your thoughts, actions and presence. To be aware –
To be aware of beauty
To be aware of life
To be aware of growth
To be aware of pain
To be aware of people
To be aware of flowers
To be aware of trees
To become aware of our personal desires and how they shape our perceptions and actions. Becoming aware allows you to open your mind to experience, think and feel! Begin to experience the world and don’t be ashamed of it and accomplishing your dreams. That is the beginning of accepting the Buddha into your life.
That is the beginning of becoming conscious of our wanting.
The is the beginning of realizing you’re a conscious, evolving, growing human being.
