Teaching of Ajahn Sundara, Paccuppanna
When we start following the Buddha’s path we may fear that we have to be a certain way and that doing something wrong would be terrible and jeopardize our freedom. We begin to see ourselves in a certain way and feel we have to constantly prop up this ‘Buddhist self’ who has to be good and kind – has to play a part, in other words.
But that’s not freedom. The Buddhist teaching of liberation is a free vehicle. It doesn’t have a specific name. The Buddha never called his teaching ‘Buddhism’.
Liberation is an aspiration that arises naturally when the mind realizes that it is in bondage, caught up in the pain of delusion, hatred and greed.
The danger with ‘religion’ is that, grasped wrongly, it can take you back to those same things – greed, hatred and delusion. You can see that everywhere in the world.
The Buddha offers a lot of very good, clear guidelines for integrating the path in our daily lives and helping the mind to cultivate qualities that are rooted in kindness and goodness. These guidelines come from his own experience. If we trust the Buddha’s experience, we have confidence in what he teaches.
Indeed, we can see this for ourselves. When we do, say or think something good, when we manifest qualities that are skilful, healthy and sound, the result will be a happier mind. We don’t need to believe the Buddha to see that. We experience it for ourselves as we apply close attention.
~ Ajahn Sundara, Paccuppanna
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