The purpose of life is to be happy.
A PATH TO HAPPINESS
AT AN OUTDOOR VENUE called Shoreline, near San
Jose, His Holi-ness the Dalai Lama talked at length and stressed
this point on happiness.
In our spiritual life we should never develop
contentment—for our physical life, yes, but not for our spiritual
life. One of my congregants once said to me, “I am finally ready to
get off the road of least resistance and onto the ‘road less
traveled’.” To experience a genuine spiritual life we must be
willing to travel the unfamiliar byways of the spiritual journey.
We also must realize it is never-ending and come to peace with that
fact.
To me one of the more appealing aspects of Buddhism
is that the paths have been explored and developed and utilized by
hundreds of thousands of monks and nuns over the past 2,600 years.
They have spent lifetimes solely dedicated to their spiritual
practice. And we in the twenty-first century can benefit from that.
What has evolved are systematic formulas and practices that, when
engaged correctly and meticulously, produce valuable results. One
can take these teachings and superimpose these ageless methods and
timeless ideas onto one’s own soul exploration.
In our physical life it is good to become content
with what is. This does not mean there is not room for improvement.
But to advance withoutangst, to be content with who you are, where
you are, what you have, with the circumstances of life, to cease
from the painful desire to accumulate more and more, brings
peace.
On the other hand, never be content with
your spiritual life, because there is always more to learn and grow
and deepen and become. Each awakening opens a door to a new room in
consciousness where we learn to grow and become more. In turn, this
leads to the next “aha,” and we once again expand. The process is
unending. We never arrive.
I first learned this teaching when I was in
training for the ministry. It was not a welcomed teaching. The very
idea of it felt exhausting because of the constant demands upon my
soul and reevaluating thoughts and beliefs previously held as dear
or as the truth. And through the years it has proven to be so. A
friend of mine posed, “So is it that we never graduate?”
This says it well. There is no sitting back and resting on our
spiritual laurels if we are on a genuine path. No, we NEVER
graduate.
We may know a lot, but it is the constant journey
of awakening and going deeper that continues to fulfill us. As
Jesus said, “The birds have their nests, and the foxes have their
dens, but the son of man has nowhere to rest his head.” You are
“the son of man,” and the truth of your being is that there is
nowhere to go to get away from the spiritual work. We, unlike the
animals, cannot escape to nest or den. Our journey is ongoing. And
with each advance comes keener insights and greater awakenings and
greater joy.
In this process of never being done, the Buddhists
offer one of their wonderful, ancient formulas. To whatever is
going on, we need to ask, “Is this beneficial?” “Is this harmful?”
Then you focus one at a time on the five filters through which we
can finely sift our thoughts and beliefs. These are referred to as
the “five aggregates”:
• Form
• Feeling
• Perceptions
• Mental formations
• Consciousness.
THE FIVE AGGREGATES
Form:
This is our physical world, our body, things. Form
does not endure.
Pause and gaze at your hand. Your hand is form, and
your hand is not going to last forever. How am I treating my body,
beneficially or harmfully? Is any particular possession of mine
beneficial or harmful? Am I treating the environment beneficially
or harmfully?
We ascribe to anything and everything all the
meaning it has for us. Nothing in this world has an absolute and
eternal meaning. We are constantly making the meaning up. Think of
a chair. This chair has no meaning to me. Does an expensive chair
have more meaning than an inexpensive chair? Are my thoughts about
the chair beneficial or harmful? Someone spills coffee with cream
on your expensive chair. Are your thoughts beneficial or harmful?
Most likely they are harmful. This actually happened at our home
shortly after I first wrote these words! All things considered, I
was very pleased at my internal and external response.
Where we get “messed up” (using my vernacular to
interpret the Buddhist concepts) is that we experience “mental
sinking.” That is, we think the chair will make us happy. As a
matter of fact, we think our happiness depends upon that
chair.
Form is anything we can touch. We need to always
ask, “Is my attraction to this thing really attachment in
disguise?” “Is it beneficial or harmful?” “Does my happiness depend
upon that object?”
Feelings:
Let us say you are feeling happy, joyous,
satisfied, compassionate. Is this a beneficial or harmful feeling?
Obviously these are beneficial feelings. But if we are feeling
separate, agitated and angry bordering on hatred, then we must be
aware that these are harmful feelings. And they are harmful not
just to us mentally and physically, but to everyone around us, to
our environment. To express harmful feelings such as these by
sending out this harmful energy is really an act of
selfishness.
The Buddhists say that such feelings poison the
blood. How interesting it is, in light of our present-day
knowledge, just how harmful such negative states of mind can be to
one’s physical well-being, just how disease-producing this can
be.
A great truth is that we have no neutral feelings.
We always have feelings about the occurrences of life. They may be
masked or denied or welcomed or fully expressed, but we always have
them, and they are not neutral.
Perceptions:
Traveling the path we quickly begin to realize that
our perceptions are just that—ours. One individual’s perception is
not more valuable than another’s. Each of us perceives in our own,
unique fashion. We practice by asking with each perception we hold,
“Am I sure?” Am I sure that how I am seeing this situation is
accurate? You can use “Am I sure?” as an inner filter.
“Am I sure?” always reminds me of couples I have
counseled through the years. Often one or both of the parties is
“sure” of the other’s intention and assigns all manner of meaning
to occurrences that, of themselves, are quite meaningless. Many
resist accepting a situation that is not really factual but only
one’s own perception.
The ancient Buddhist text called The Diamond
Sutra teaches, “Where there is perception there is deception.”
For me that teaching is extraordinary. Where there is perception
there is deception. Perception-deception: pretty simple if we would
only get it!
Mental formations:
These are our seed thoughts, our very core thoughts
in the subconscious mind. They can be positive or negative.
These can be of love, kindness, generosity,
equanimity, compassion, forgiveness, inclusiveness, or they can be
focused on separation, grievance, anger, hatred, envy, jealousy,
being the victim. What we do is water these seed thoughts. Perhaps
we use a little watering can, or maybe we turn on a fireman’s hose.
We must ask, “Is this beneficial or harmful?” Is it beneficial or
harmful to have this thought about this person relative to this
experience?
Consciousness:
This is our individual thumbprint in the universe,
and the Buddhist view of consciousness is exactly the same as the
metaphysical view. It is the sum total of our being; it is who we
are. Consciousness is our soul’s DNA. It is always expanding or
contracting. We must always be aware what seeds in our
consciousness are being watered by ourselves or others.
This fifth aggregate contains the other four
aggregates. Where our consciousness goes, our lives will follow.
Following this discipline, I do not watch negative entertainment. I
do not read negative or violent material. I am most mindful of what
seeds of consciousness I am watering. I am always asking, “Is this
beneficial or harmful?”
I broke my own “entertainment code” while going
through a very consuming difficulty. I was praying constantly for a
right outcome, and in spite of what was occurring, I was able to
avoid “mental sinking” and remain quite centered. Then for
“entertainment” I watched an extremely violent and disturbingly
haunting Academy Award-winning movie.
The content of that film polluted the delicate
balance that had been maintained in my consciousness in the midst
of conflict. What immediately followed was a restless night filled
with graphic images of horror occupying my brain. Also, I developed
galloping worry about the current situation. My peace was displaced
for about twelve hours, and it took a great deal of prayer,
cleansing meditation and affirming to center myself once again.
What a lessons on top of a lesson it was.
If we speak or act with an impure mind,
suffering will follow—as surely as the chariot follows the animal
that draws it.
If we speak or act with a pure mind, joy will
follow—as surely as the shadow follows the person who casts
it.
Some people look at others and think: That
person insulted me; that person upset me; that person defeated me;
that person cheated me. Their minds are never free from hate. Those
who do not think such thoughts are free from hate.
Hate is never appeased by hate; it is appeased
by love. This is an eternal law.
THREE FILTERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
There are three filters to put over the lenses of
the Five Aggregates to assist us in seeing clearly. They are:
1. Insight. Let me see insightfully.
2. Correct. Let me see correctly. Let my
perceptions be correct.
3. Repeat. Let me see each form in the moment,
not how it has been in the past or how it might be in the future,
but right now. We constantly have to repeat our spiritual practice,
engaging in this path repeatedly to grow. Early on my spiritual
journey I learned this phrase: “Repetition, repetition,
repetition.” We repeata spiritual truth long enough, and it becomes
a part of our store consciousness.
On the last day, the day a blessing was to be
bestowed on the attendees, the previously partially empty parking
lot was not only full to capacity but overflowing. Every possible
space had a car squeezed into it. It was obvious that many more
people had shown up for the sweetness of the blessing over the
intensity of the teaching in a hot, dark, smelly, uncomfortable
arena.
For me it was an interesting observation on human
nature and the desire for so many to take the easy road rather than
the “road less traveled.” To advance spiritually always means to
choose the demanding path. How many are actually willing to do so?
Sometimes it appears that the answer is not that many. Let me see
insightfully. Let me see correctly. Let me see into the now.
One step on the demanding path is to live
peacefully. When I was young, I thought America was a peace-loving
country. Then came Vietnam, then the first Gulf War, then the
attack on Iraq. As a nation when we are challenged, or think we
are, any guise of peace evaporates, and we attack. We responded to
9/11 with anger and pride—attack—which unfortunately seems to be
the American nature.
The true warrior of the enlightened mind seeks
peace in every instance. The bodhisattva mind has no anger or pride
or need to attack. One seeking the path to enlightenment always
chooses peace. That is why I study with the Dalai Lama. He always
chooses peace. A noble being seeks to experience unity and harmony,
both in life’s great moments and in ordinary daily life, as well as
in life’s tragic moments.
As we journey toward living an awakened life, it is
only natural and appropriate that we be happy. Living a so-called
spiritual life and at the same time being a miserable and suffering
martyr went out of style centuries ago.
When we are happy as an awake being, then our
desire for all others is that they, too, experience happiness. It
is here that we can know our innate oneness. It is here that any
sense of separation begins to dissolve and the true essence of each
individual can come forth. This awareness does not drop from the
sky. It must be remembered. It must be realized in our hearts. Then
we must practice. Then we must repeat those practices again and
again. We all need to engage techniques and formulas that appeal to
reason and lead to higher states of awareness. This is how we come
to wake up, to be able to see through the veil, past the illusions
and into the truth that lies in waiting within us all.
A path to happiness comes to us all as we mindfully
journey on our path, committed to engaging these blessed teachings
at all times under all circumstances. For this material to have any
true meaning, it must be embraced intellectually, because it is
reasonable, psychologically sound and simply makes sense. And then
it must make two subsequent journeys. First, it must travel from
the head to the heart. Here the heart is healed if healing is
needed, and then the heart opens. Second, with an open heart one
can experience life so much more fully.
I have found on my path, as my heart continues to
open, I am deeply touched by the preciousness of life. I witness a
tender exchange between a little girl and her daddy and I fill up
with tears. On Veterans Day I read an article on the remaining
World War I veterans, and I get choked up.
On November 11, several years back, David and I
arrived in Paris and were walking toward the Arc de Triomphe
unaware in that moment that it was Armistice Day, as Europeans call
that day. When we arrived, to our amazement, thousands of people
were ringing the monument, which was flying the French flag. We
were moved to tears at the deep importance of this day for the
French.
Another life-changing incident occurred when we
were at Juno Beach in Normandy. Juno is the D-Day beach where our
Canadian neighbors first landed. The enormity of the beaches and
the memory of what occurred more than sixty years ago remains alive
in me to this day. Upon arriving at the beach, my husband and I
walked for a few minutes in opposite directions. While I was alone,
an elderly French gentleman wearing a beret approached me and asked
in French if I was an American. “Oui, monsieur,” I replied.
His clear, steel-gray eyes looked deeply into mine, and he simply
said, “Merci beaucoup, merci beaucoup.” My heart burst open.
Here he was thanking me! I wasn’t even born and had nothing to do
with D-Day and the liberation of the French, his liberation, but he
was still deeply grateful. It was so astonishing and meaningful to
me that I could not hold back the tears. (When I reread these
words, I wept again.)
When our hearts are open, life in its true, loving
expression can flow through us and from us. We feel beauty and
pathos. We can exchange our sense of self with another. Rainbows
and thunderstorms alike have danced in my heart, all because long
ago I became committed to doing whatever it took to open my heart
and keep it open.
To walk that glorious path to happiness, know it is
safe and necessary to open your heart and clear your life of mental
distractions, obscurations, and embrace your innate holiness.
The teaching of Tibetan Buddhism offers us in the
West phenomenal techniques and processes that have been practiced
for nearly 2,600 years. They offer us the unvarnished truth. They
work. They have proven themselves to be beneficial through the
ages. Now in our time this ancient wisdom is available to us. We
can daily practice The Four Immeasurables— love, compassion, joy
and equanimity. We can consistently engage the Five
Aggregates—form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and
consciousness. These all help us to reap the benefit of oneness,
knowing unity with our fellow travelers.
FIVE AGGREGATES EXERCISES
Practice each of the following exercises, one a
week for five weeks:
Form
First, in meditation, as well as in an awakened
state of outer awareness, look at your hand. Look deeply. What do
you see? Very often I see my mother’s hand when I look at my own.
Ask yourself, What does this hand, face, leg, etc., mean to
me?
Second, pick an object in your home that holds
great importance for you. Look at it deeply. What do you see? If it
were lost or stolen or destroyed in some way, how would you feel?
Put it out of your sight for the week. Do you miss it? Realize it
is just a “thing,” and you have given it all the meaning you
ascribe to it.
Feelings
For the next week, write down your feelings three
times a day in your journal or, if you don’t have one, a small
notebook. Keep it simple. This needn’t be complicated or complex.
For example:
2 P.M.—Centered, lighthearted.
10 P.M.—Pleased, sleepy. or
7 A.M.—Anxious, nervous.
2:00 P.M.—Stressed, burned out.
10:00 P.M.—Exhausted, anxious.
Perceptions
“Where there is perception, there is deception.”
This is a very helpful yet simple exercise to do in the third week.
Get a half-dozen note cards and write in bold lettering: Am I
sure? Place them around your home, workplace, auto, in your
wallet—wherever you will see them frequently.
Ask yourself frequently throughout each day, Am I
sure my perception is correct? Am I sure he’s really this way? Am I
sure I must have this?
An attorney in my congregation asked herself this
question as she was about to pass up the deal of the decade on a
very expensive mink coat. Did she want the money in her retirement
account, or did she want the mink, of which she already had
several?
Am I sure I need this, want this, want to spend the
money? Why do I need this, want this? What is this coat offering to
me? Will it make me happy or beautiful?
Am I sure?
Mental Formations
In the fourth week work with the concept, Is this
helpful? Do the exercise much like the preceding one. This time
take note cards and write on each, Is this beneficial or
harmful? Then post them where you spend your days, as in the
previous week.
Is this thought, feeling, action, belief, attitude,
judgment beneficial or harmful?
If you do this exercise with great honesty, you may
be quite surprised. If your answer is harmful, you have your work
cut out for you.
Consciousness
Remember that consciousness contains the previous
four aggregates. A very helpful exercise is always to be mindful of
what you call entertainment and what you allow to be programmed
into your subconscious mind.
We all need to know what’s going on in this world,
but we do not need to be witness to all the horrors and atrocities
happening around the globe. All four of my grandparents were
immigrants, arriving in the United States ranging in age from
toddlers to teens. They were never aware daily of the global
horrors of their era. They didn’t have the Internet, CNN, Fox,
CNBC, etc., the constant media bombardment. Life was simple for
them because of this.