Buddhist Reflections on Life

 

What good are families, friends, possessions and

The trivial pursuits of human life unless they

Free you from who you are now? Instead just

Throw them all away and seek enlightenment

In whatever life makes available to you.

Stop kidding yourself. If your life is

Not filled with more love every day,

It’s time to throw away your life,

So that you can find it again!

When beings agree upon their illusions,

 They feel close to each other.

When they no longer share the same illusions,

They drift apart,

Each seeking a separate reality.

Illusions — the things that we are attracted to, want,

Believe in, or wish to have happen to us —

Create our associations.

They join us for a time In the ocean of life

To others, until One day we Are free.

Why is all of this?

What is all of this?

Does life have a beginning and an end?

Is there a purpose or meaning?

The seagulls turn and dive in the wind,

Searching for their purpose,

And at night they sleep in their nests,

And dream of fish

And of flying In the wind.

The lessons of life are plain, simple and few:

Don’t get caught in the rain unless you

Want to get wet;

Try to avoid people, places and experiences that  don’t make you smile;

Never count on anyone except yourself…

Happiness comes from loving something or someone.

This is the wisdom of the enlightened!

Happiness ends when you stop loving,

And start hating the things and people that you loved.

To accept your physical body,

This transient home of the soul,

As a perfect mandala of enlightenment, is wisdom.

To see your physical body and its processes

As anything less than enlightenment is a mistake.

I know that there are many spiritual traditions

That disagree with me;

According to them your physical body is corrupt.

I don’t really care.

Because to criticize the physical body is to

Criticize the designs and the designer of creation.

It is a sign of spiritual immaturity and weakness.

Only a strong, mature and wise person can

Embrace all of existence as God.

 To do this you must see beyond the surface of life And know its deeper reality.

Those who reject the physical and praise the spiritual

Have not yet passed the universe’s course in

 Self-acceptance.

 Every second you have the opportunity to

 Love instead of hate,

To be positive instead of negative,

To smile instead of frown..

Running away is an exercise in futility.

What are you running away from?

Who are you running away from?...

Instead of running away, try running to.

Run to happiness,

Run to self-knowledge,

Run to ecstasy,

Run to peace and stillness,

Run to humor,

Run to oblivion.

Remember: Wherever you go, there you are!

From a Buddhist point of view, correct intent is to

Seek happiness without intentionally doing harm To others.

Incorrect intent is to seek happiness for yourself

By ripping other people off.

Exceptional intent is to seek happiness for yourself by

Spreading light and empowering others.

Stop trying to correct the world

And instead correct yourself;

This will make you happier

And you will have More friends.

Simplify your life.

It’s really that simple!

Simplify your life by removing the thoughts

From your mind that cause you so much pain.

Simplify your life by removing the

Fears and doubts from your mind

That cause you so much pain.

Simplify your life until

Only happiness remains!

Insights: Tantric Buddhist Reflections on Life

Frederick Lenz

 

 Insights: Tantric Buddhist Reflections on Life