I was just reading the Theravedan Buddhist text called the Dhammapadda. I came across a passage that really struck a chord. It goes like this:
"Through many a birth in samsara have I wandered in vain, seeking the builder of this house... O house-builder, you are seen! You will not build this house again."
First, some definitions. Samsara is the Buddhist concept of cyclical existence. Birth, death, rebirth until one achieves the ultimate state of detachment and peace with the universe. Second, the "house" is the body. The verse essentially means "I've lived enough to see the universe for what it is -- I need not be born again."
I have been working on thoughts lately -- trying to banish those dark lines of thought that lead to depression and hatred. It's hard. I pass a street preacher every day on the way to work, and I'm always thinking in my head how hypocritical and contradictory his rhetoric is -- how falacious his logic. Today, I took a step in the right direction. I countered those thoughts and a few that followed about the people outside on "smoker's row" that I also pass daily outside the hospital. It was a small thing, but it was the first time I realized how deeply I was invested in these angry thoughts -- and about such trivial matters!
Today's meditation: Prajna Paramita, from the Heart Sutra, the mantra to calm all suffering.
