A Fistful of Sand

  Courtesy Mystic Firs The expression "each one of us is in his own samsara, it is nowhere else to be found" is rooted in Buddhist philosophy and reflects the understanding of samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, from an individual perspective. Here's an explanation of this expression: In Buddhism, samsara refers to the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that sentient beings go through. It is marked by suffering, impermanence, and the continual experience of life's ups and downs. This cycle is perpetuated by karma, the law of cause and effect, as individuals accumulate actions and their consequences from one life to the next. The expression emphasizes that samsara is a personal and individual experience. Each sentient being, including each human, is caught in their own cycle of samsara, which is unique to them. While there are shared aspects of suffering and the cycle itself, the specific experiences and karma of each being are distinct. The concep...

In a conversation with an aged Brahmin, the Buddha once explained concisely what a Buddha, an enlightened one, means: What has to be known, that I have known (the five aggregates); What has to be abandoned, that I have abandoned; (the defilements) What has to be developed, that I have developed (concentrations & wisdom); Therefore, O Brahmin, I am a Buddha. These are not only three characteristics of a Buddha; they are also the three objectives we aim at in following the Buddha’s teaching. We follow the Dharma to fully know what should be known; to abandon what should be abandoned; and to develop what should be developed. These are the goals of the Buddhist path and the three accomplishments that mark the attainment of enlightenment. For most of us we can change the Buddha’s statement slightly and we will be adequately described. What has to be known, that I have learning; What has to be abandoned, that I am abandoning; What has to be developed, that I am ...

Karma is an action or a combination of actions performed by us that inevitably produces results. As far as their effects go, these actions may be good, bad, or pure. Good karma leads to favorable results that we find pleasurable and rebirth in the higher realms of samsara, literally, ”the Wandering”. Bad karma leads to bad results and rebirth in the lower realms of samsara. Pure untainted karma leads to enlightenment and permits one to transcend samsara.  Karmic actions can be fashioned by an individual or corporately by a group, a community or even a society. The consequent results can be good or bad and help to determine the future of the individual or individuals who created them. While any cause will always produce a result, when that result will occurs cannot be foreseen. If the proper conditions do not manifest for a while, the result will lie dormant for as long as it takes those conditions to ripen.  The causal link is clear. Thoughts of gree...