The Folly of asking, "Why?"

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Tips on Meditation and the Spiritual path - idea #174
from your Buddhism expert



The Folly of asking, “Why?”


I’m going to pick on an anonymous student. Why?
Am I doing this so we can all point at her and laugh,
secure in the illusion of our own self righteousness?
Not so much. Rather, this is a chance for us to
examine the folly of many of the tendencies that
pervade each of us. Not so we can feel guilty or
stupid, but so that we can learn.






Folks, this is what separates the men from the boys.
The self-righteous seek non-threatening teachings,
so they can feel good about themselves; whereas the
truly spiritual seek challenging and practical
teachings that could actually speed their progression
upon Buddha’s path of:
• love,
• peace,
• insight and
• happiness.
So which are you, self-righteous or truly spiritual;
defensive or humble? Nope, it’s not what you feel
that will determine your answer, but what you CHOOSE.


A very nice lady wrote me yesterday telling me of
the sadness she feels when she considers the
suffering of animals. Of course that would make her
feel sad, why wouldn’t it? After all, concern for
the well-being of others is a significant part of the
ultimate nature that pervades each of us.


This sensitive gal feels sad when she considers the
plight of many animals. She doesn’t like feeling that
way, so she seeks a solution to her sorrow. Where does
she look? She looks in “story.”


Instead of asking, “what can I do to help the animals,”
she asks, “why are they suffering so.” Rather than
deal with the present or the future she is looking to
the past. How often have we done the same thing? How
often have we tried to make ourselves feel better by
indulging a really compelling story?


How often have lovers, in the midst of a spat, sought
to earn their partner’s forgiveness through the use
of a compelling story?

“Gee honey, I’m sorry I insulted your mom, but her hat reminded me of evil Aunt Gertrude. Have I ever told you about Aunt Gertrude? Well one day, when I was but a lad…”

blah, blah blah!


My friend, it does not matter why, Joe insulted Helen’s
mom. All that matters is:
• what his actions were,
• what his intentions were,
• how he plans to remedy the situation and
• how he plans to prevent it from occurring
again.
Anything else, is a distraction from that which is
truly important. I don’t want to be distracted from
the spiritual path, how about you?


Stories are great for the campfire. But not so great
for serious spiritual growth. The next time you feel
sad on behalf of another, whether they walk on four
legs or two, it is my sincere hope that you’ll open
your copy of “Quick Path to Happy Peace”
http://www.lamajigme.com
and practice the three sets of exercises known as:
#1 Bringing Liberation into the path of Concentration,
#2 Bringing Liberation into the path of Insight, and
#3 Bringing Liberation into the path of Compassion.

By doing so you could actually shift the karma of
others as well as personally advance upon Buddha’s
path to Enlightenment.


Om Mani Padme Hum,
Lama Jigme Gyatso
Tibetan-Buddhist: Monk, Teacher, Healer and Tantrika


P.S. Our ability to really use the
path of the three liberations {mentioned above} hinges
upon our mastery of the fundamentals of practices of
the Buddha of Compassion… namely, the recitations and
meditations that make use of the Six-syllable mantra:
“Om Mani Padme Hum.” That is why I’ve made the CD
“Mastering the Mani” available for a
substantial discount, THIS month. But hurry, there are
only 6 more days to take advantage of this offer by
going to:
http://www.lamajigme.com/Mastering-The-Mani.html






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