The switch is within us!
What does Buddhism bring to people in the West?
In many households in the West there is a Buddha, a statue, a painting.
Even at the well-known furniture discounter from Sweden you can find an image of the Indian prince in almost every ensemble.
When I ask people what they associate with the image of Buddha, the answer usually comes: peace, tranquility, balance.
Deeper knowledge about the life story, the deeds and the work of the enlightened are not present, also many people do not really care. Even the Buddha's birth name is mostly unknown.
So what do so many people in the West associate with the statue in their living room?
Just the sight of the Buddha meditating peacefully brings many people something positive in their daily lives. Buddha shows us another world, not hectic, but at rest, focused within, spared from the mischief of the world.
In this day and age we have lost our connection to the divine, the sight of Buddha can show us a new path.
I would argue that every person who is attracted to the image of Buddha also feels an interest in Buddhism within himself.
But how can we learn more about the Buddha's teaching? Buddha's teaching includes as its core message the attainment of "enlightenment."
The first and central question we have to ask ourselves is whether this goal is also interesting for us, whether we want to concern ourselves with "awakening".
If we answer this question in the affirmative, then the further stages will arise for us as if by themselves.
"Enlightenment" is certainly possible for each of us.
Each of us has a house or an apartment, but where is the switch?
The switch is within us!
I AM SO FAST THAT WHEN I FLIPPED THE LIGHT SWITCH IN THE HOTEL ROOM LAST NIGHT, I WAS IN BED BEFORE THE LIGHT WAS OFF
- MUHAMMAD ALI - BOXER - 1942 TO 2016
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