I mostly started wearing glasses in the 8th grade. I say "mostly" because I was very clumsy and forgetful in 8th grade, so I quickly fell into a routine of breaking/ losing them.
When I was older and out of the house, however, I got better about keeping track of my glasses; probably because I was the one paying for them.
That being said, my eyes are strange. One is near-sighted and the other is far-sighted, which results in headaches and blurred vision if I try to stare at a computer screen or read a book for extended periods of time. Coincidentally, both my job and my writing require me to spend long hours reading books and staring at computer screens.
My glasses are a very important part of my life.
As a result, I made them the focus of my gratitude meditation today, and pondered all of the people who made them possible. Where would I be if not for the kind optometrist who figured out my prescription or the helpful receptionist who called me when they were ready?
How long did it take the technician to grind the lenses into exactly the right shape, and who's the person who engineered the flexible, break-resistant frame?
I owe those people a cup of coffee. Actually, I owe them a lot more than that, because without their skilled labor I'd be doomed to a life of migraines and poor eyesight.
In this way, I am indebted to an infinite number of people all over the world who helped bring my glasses into existence. And those people are with me as long as my glasses are with me. They help me see more clearly every day, and I'm thankful.
In many ways, Buddhism is like a pair of glasses.
When people ask me how it works, I generally explain how practice helps me see life more clearly. As I meditate, my attachments fall away, and I'm able to make better, more thoughtful decisions that reduce suffering for myself and others.
But I didn't invent Buddhist practice. I didn't write the sutras, or develop meditation techniques, or write chant books. That work was done by countless men and women who were far more awakened than I am. Where would I be without their help?
Yes, life is suffering. But how much worse would our suffering be if Buddha hadn't stepped out from under the Bodhi tree, if Bodhidharma hadn't come from the west, if old ladies hadn't smacked the hell out of Zen monks seeking enlightenment?
We owe these people a cup of coffee. Actually, we owe them much more than that, but they've been dead for centuries, so it's kind of a moot point.
But all is not lost. Because there's a wealth of knowledge and traditions that exist because of their hard work. We can express our gratitude, we can honor the Buddhists that came before us by honoring their traditions.
More than that, we can honor all of the sentient beings that assisted them in their practice. Every rock that provided a place to sit and copy sutras, every tree that provided shade during meditation, and even the rice that provided nourishment during meals; all of them can be included in our gratitude.
So, each time we bow, or meditate, or chant we say, "Thank you," to the infinite number of beings across time and space that have helped us to see clearly and act appropriately in daily life.
In this way, the practice isn't just a part of our lives; it is our lives. And so are all of the beings who made it possible.
But all is not lost. Because there's a wealth of knowledge and traditions that exist because of their hard work. We can express our gratitude, we can honor the Buddhists that came before us by honoring their traditions.
More than that, we can honor all of the sentient beings that assisted them in their practice. Every rock that provided a place to sit and copy sutras, every tree that provided shade during meditation, and even the rice that provided nourishment during meals; all of them can be included in our gratitude.
So, each time we bow, or meditate, or chant we say, "Thank you," to the infinite number of beings across time and space that have helped us to see clearly and act appropriately in daily life.
In this way, the practice isn't just a part of our lives; it is our lives. And so are all of the beings who made it possible.
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I enjoyed this piece of eye opener and am glad that it was the first thing I read this morning. It added an incentive to my wake up routine of sitting before getting out of bed and followed by yoga stretching to align my bag of skin and bones. I do this without fail every morning. This morning i was focused on being Love where every molecule every subatomic particle that makes up my physical self is Love energy....yada yada... thanks for sharing .
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