After spending five weeks at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal--- has something changed? This is the question.
-meditated for five hours each day
-sat cross-legged on the floor for eight
-did yoga twice a day
-honored silence from 10pm at night until 2pm the next day (or at least tried to ;)
-constantly discussed life and buddhism.
-and took the 8 Mahayana Precepts for the last ten days.. no stealing, no lying, eating only one meal a day, not dancing or singing or listening to music (okay I might of broke these last ones ;)
I can say it was a beautifully challenging experience and that indeed I have learned.
Although I still wouldn't consider myself Buddhist, this course has opened my mind significantly.
What do I believe? I believe in compassion, in unity-- something that Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes greatly. I also believe in karma, and the basic science that our actions will have consequences, and at some point there will be repercussions. I can also see how all of our problems stem from three poisons: ignorance, attachment, and anger.
It truly is such a logical belief system, and although I'm still quite the critic, I appreciate that Buddhism wants me to be. It wants me to question, it wants me to analyze. It doesn't want to tell me what to believe, to tell me that its system is right and every other system is wrong. It emphasizes unity, allocates acceptance, and encourages getting to the peak of the mountain taking which ever path best suits you.
And there is no question in my mind that meditation and compassion are key to which ever path one chooses.
Truly it's a ship I'm willing to board. I just don't think my bags are fully packed.
I will continue to raise questions, but I can say I've opened my eyes and my heart quite a bit.
Ten things I've learned, realized, or been reminded of:
1) Mindfulness and awareness are key to everything. Even love can't reach it's full potential if your not being mindful. (meditation is key)
2)You can learn things intellectually for years, but until you realize them for yourself and understand them with your heart, you'll never fully understand. (Meditation helps with this too)
3) You can never fully change another person's mind. Only your own. BUT being in control of one's own mind is a very powerful tool, as...
4) Your mind is everything. Everything we perceive, everything we see and understand. It all comes from the mind. It is all projected and it is all empty of inherent existence. While emptiness is an impossibly complex concept to grasp, as well as a terrifying one. It is a hopeful concept, as it brings the truth that we do have the power to change our reality, because our minds create our reality. So change your mind. simple, right?
5) (Not one of my favorites, but nonetheless true) Impermanence is real. Death is real. It's better to confront it than avoid it. If we don't confront it, eventually it will confront us. If it hasn't already.
Everyone we love is going to suffer, everyone we love is going to die, as are we. All we can do is enjoy the time we have, spread love and compassion, and try and enjoy all things beautiful. Happiness is there, it's fleeting but it's there.
6) Everything is indeed constantly changing, on such a small subtle level as well as a vast one. The art of loving through impermanance is realizing that the people you love most- you'll never entirely know. They are constantly changing and forming, as are you.
Using the analogy of a dear friend, we are all infinite onions- layers and layers yet to be revealed. We can never fully know a person, but there's always room to learn.
Time is limited, wisdom is scarce, but love and compassion have endless potential. And in the end that's all that matters.
7) My perspective and your perspective will NEVER be the same. We will never see the world the same way as our minds have completely different mental imprints and projections. Our histories, every single moment, every memory in this life has affected how we see the world. This is different for everybody, thus NOBODY see's things the way I do.
7.5) Acknowledging that nobody see's things the way you do and that we all have our own perceptions, we must also acknowledge our unity - in wanting happiness and not wanting suffering. We are all human. We are all the same.
8) Anger is never worthwhile. "Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die"
9) It is a mistake to thing boredom comes from a particular person, situation, activity. Boredom doesn't come from the object of attention, but the quality of attention. If you're feeling bored while talking to someone, it means you should listen more carefully. If you're bored in meditation, it means you should bring your attention closer to the object.
"How can meditating on the breath be boring? Each breath is sustaining your life"
And finally. A significant realization for me:
10) Unpleasant feelings, experiences, encounters. These are necessary. These are key. As without experiencing the negative, we can't appreciate the positive. Without the "bad", we wouldn't realize the"good" (not that there is good or bad- these are all projections ;)
This is something I've most likely heard throughout my life, but for some reason it finally registered. I finally understood it on a whole different level. Appreciating the pain, the people who've hurt me, who've hurt those I love. Seeing their suffering. Seeing them as "precious wish-fulfilling jewels".. because they've allowed me to practice patience, allowed me to develop my compassion, my empathy, to fully appreciate the beautiful things in life, by seeing, by knowing, what is not beautiful.
This is one I still can't fully grasp, nor put into words.. but it's a start.
All in all. If I had to pull out the most significant, life changing thing I've learned during my weeks at Kopan, these past four months traveling...
I'd have to say it's something I've known all along.
But it's never been so clear.
Kindness and compassion are of MOST importance. Our sole purpose of existence is to help others, to spread kindness, to reflect light.
If I could only know one thing, I would know this.
Real peace and happiness has to come from the heart, from within. So therefore, to eliminate wars and destroying each other, to eliminate famine, disease and earthquakes, and to eliminate all other disasters and unfavourable experiences, all this can be stopped by having loving kindness toward each other. From having a good heart with loving kindness, negative action cannot arise. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Peace and love to you all<3