The word buddha itself makes an important point about the nature of affliction and liberation. The intent of the painting is not to communicate mere knowledge of a process but to put this knowledge to use in redirecting and uplifting our lives. Whereas many non-Asians see a man in the moon, Asians see the outline of a rabbit thus, its appearance on the moon in the painting is merely a depiction of the topography of the moon.) That in the topmost part of the picture Buddha is indicating that liberation is possible sets an optimistic tone for the whole painting. (Notice that there is a rabbit drawn on the moon. Buddha is pointing out that freedom from pain is possible. The unsettling description of the steps of entrapment is a call to action, for it shows how the prison of selfishness can be turned into a source of help and happiness for both oneself and others.Īt the top right of the painting as we face it, the Buddha is standing with his left hand in a teaching pose and with the index finger of the right hand pointing to a moon on the other side at the top left. It shows the altruistic purpose that can make life meaningful. By illuminating the causes behind our situation of limitation and pain, the wheel of cyclic existence reveals how, through practicing antidotes to these causes, we can overcome the painful and limiting situations that are their effects. It vividly describes how we become trapped in a counterproductive maelstrom of suffering and how this process can be reversed, showing how Buddhists place themselves in an ever-changing universe of cause and effect. In Tibet, this painting is at the doorway of practically every temple. It is much like a map of the world or the periodic table of chemical elements, but it is a map of an internal process and its external effects. The diagram, said to be designed by the Buddha himself, depicts an inner psychological cosmology that has had great influence throughout Asia. These questions about the meaning of life are addressed in a famous Buddhist painting of a wheel with twenty-one parts that outlines the process of rebirth. WHY ARE WE in this situation? Where are we going? Do our lives have any meaning? How should we make use of our lives? How does Buddhism view the position of beings in the world and the ways humans can make their lives meaningful? May this book bring happiness and the causes of future happiness to all beings. The Gere Foundation is proud to be associated with His Holiness and his message of universal responsibility and peace, and pleased to support Wisdom Publications in its efforts to promote these ideals. Readers will derive much benefi from contemplating and meditating on them. This book is a wondrous opportunity for us all to make contact with such a man and his teachings. The ability to adhere to, embody, and generate Buddhist principles under extreme adversity is the mark of a true bodhisattva. The unfaltering patience and compassion he has shown for those who continue to destroy his country are finally beginning to bear fruit, and the restoration of Tibetan independence is within sight. Since the Chinese invasion of independent Tibet in 1950, and his harrowing escape to India in 1959, His Holiness has worked tirelessly to free his people from a brutal and systematic genocide that has left 1,200,000 Tibetans dead (a fifth of the pre-invasion population). My religion is kindness, he has often said. These can only be achieved through a fearless nonviolence guided by both a transcendent wisdom and an unshakable universal altruism. His teachings are rooted in a life tried and tested, a life dedicated to peace, human rights, social change, and the total transformation of the human mind and heart. A brilliant scholar, his words and experience go far beyond the academic. His forty years as a spiritual teacher and political leader are unique. He is the product of an unbroken lineage extending back to the historical Buddha. Winner of the 1989 Nobel Prize for Peace, the Dalai Lama is universally regarded as one of the great spiritual friends of our time. THE GERE FOUNDATION is delighted to sponsor Wisdom’s publication of The Meaning of Life by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |