1) When the Buddha was ready to die, They asked him, ‘Are you, God? And he said --No. “Are you a prophet?” The Buddha said --No. “Are you a messenger?” And once again --No. And finally, someone yelled out, “Who are you then?”
“I am awake,” said the great Buddha. Because he understood that I am awake is our eternal self.
Buddha understood that everything beyond “I am awake” is temporary. The mind, with its cravings, thoughts, and feelings, the body, material possessions, fears, and even beliefs have no permanence.
Most of our suffering will end when we recognize our attachment to our thoughts, emotions, and body sensations. This speaks to the heart of Buddha’s teachings that the root of suffering is attachment.
Had I not stumbled across understanding that I was not my mind—what I now call the Holy Grail of recovery—chances are I would still be relapsing or dead.
2) Buddha also understood there was no such thing as a separate self because, without the trees or insects or other people, etc., we are dead. Everything is interconnected and ONE, which means when we hurt anyone, we are also hurting ourselves because there is no separate self; all is ONE.
The No-Self that Buddha had experienced is difficult for most of us to get our heads around but trust me, when we do the work of awakening; we can all experience the One Power (LOVE) that runs through all life. The illusion is thinking we are separate from IT!
3) More than 2,500 years ago, Buddha focused an entire spiritual movement on the concept of non-attachment. He taught it as the key to ending suffering by encouraging his followers to accept life at the moment. We must acknowledge the reality of the Now before we try to change it.
Buddha’s message is when we don’t practice acceptance, we suffer. Knowing this helps me remember the importance of compassion when I make mistakes, think others don’t like me, or feel insecure. Keeping life in the Now is vital to letting go of our resistance.
Acceptance is how we begin to unravel and address our issue—first, through an admission, then acceptance, followed by action if it’s necessary.
Acceptance, one of the simplest and most profound practices I know.
Wishing everyone
love peace and joy !
Comments