Do I want enlightenment, do I want to awaken?
Buddhism and our desires
WE SELDOM THINK OF WHAT WE HAVE, BUT ALWAYS OF WHAT WE LACK. [ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER]
According to the historical Buddha, thinking is what hurts us, harms us.
As with Arthur Schopenhauer's quote, we think especially of the people and things we lack, what we have we take for granted.
We wish for so many things, a loving partner, money and success, health and happiness, big things and small things, all day long (and at night in dreams) our ego delivers a firework of thoughts, wishes, hopes, fears and dreams.
All wishes are based on such thoughts as "how nice it would be ....", "if if if", "would have had", very few thoughts are useful, the ego is constantly chattering away.
And exactly these thoughts harm us, cause us pain, because we worry, our wishes become a disadvantage for us via our ego.
My texts are mostly about "enlightenment", how to come to "awakening", how the journey could look like.
A very important step on the way to "awakening" is to get a grip on the ego, to get a grip on the monkey chattering away in our head. Because of the ego, various desires appear in our thoughts, the possible non-fulfillment of our needs makes us worry, we worry as usual, too often.
The ego should be our servant, not we the servant of the ego. We must achieve control over the ego, otherwise "enlightenment" is not tangible.
When new desires appear in our mind, we should question them, where does the thought come from right now, why does it appear at all?
Now you are rightly wondering how this is supposed to work, how to get a grip on the thoughts, how to find the necessary peace, how to prevail against your own ego?
By dealing with the subject of "enlightenment", seeing it as worth striving for, thinking about it is the first step.
But not on the level of the ego, but with the rational part of the thoughts, which are to be clearly separated from the thoughts of the ego.
Do I want "enlightenment," do I want to awaken?
If the answer is "yes," you are well on your way.
Instead of thinking about wants and needs, instead of letting the ego lead you, give focused thought to what preparations you can make for the journey to awakening.
Every journey begins with a small step. The journey to "enlightenment" too!
ONE TRAVELS NOT ONLY TO ARRIVE, BUT TO TRAVEL.
- JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE - GERMAN POET - 1749 TO 1832
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