The Stress factor

by HH The Gyalwang Drukpa, Times of India, Nov 14, 2011

New Delhi, India -- Stress makes us always busy for nothing. Stress is caused by conformity to standards and structures. However, if we don't conform, we are considered as bad.

So, we feel that we have to do this and we have to do that, or we may get into trouble. Many such types of social and traditional structures can give us a lot of headaches.

This doesn't mean that Buddhist teaching has no structure, tradition, or culture. There is a
form, but it is there to enable those people who have a strong attachment to have something that they lean on. Buddhist teachings deal with the Universal Truth, the authentic teaching.

As we don't want to be confined within a box, we should try to lessen any rigid structures or concepts we have about customs, traditions, rules and regulations.

Buddhism is not a religion

Buddhism is not a religion. Therefore, Buddhism can never be put inside a 'box' of culture or religion. Buddhist teachings are like space or spaciousness. Anything you may point to, as the structure, culture or tradition of Buddhism is not the authentic Buddhism. We have a lot of meditation, therapies, mental and physical exercises to keep ourselves in a state of peace and calm. However, these are just skillful means and methods to keep ourselves calm and peaceful.

Authentically speaking, at some point, we have to go of all these skilful means because they are just temporary.

To experience liberation, first we have to free our minds from misunderstanding. All faults, misconceptions, sufferings and stresses stem from a lack of understanding about relative truth. Everything is relative. No truth is ultimate or absolute.

This relativity also tells us that there is no need to be stressed or worried. Everything in the world is impermanent. In addition to the suffering of impermanence, there are many kinds of stresses that derive from nervousness. You may believe that things have to be this or that way, which makes you nervous.

Nowadays our education is always concerned with competition. You have to be the best....
Children are always looking for the best, but since nothing is the best, stress comes.

You have to run after the rainbow but you cannot catch it. Therefore, the stress seems to be endless. We feel we have to work very hard because we have to show our wealth. Our home, our car, our way of living should reach a certain standard. But we will never reach a standard when we say, "Okay, now I've reached where I want to be, so now I can relax. I am now the richest and the best in the world." We will never get there.

Best of both worlds

Know that the life we live is relative and then you can work for money, have a family and lead a normal, fun-filled life. Without contentment, satisfaction and happiness, what are you working for? You are working like hell for suffering. You would be looking for more and more suffering.

We don't have to abandon this busy life in order to get rid of stress. The best solution is,
acquire some knowledge. This little bit of change in your mind will make a big difference.
Even though the change may be small, the difference that you feel in your lifestyle will be
tremendous.

According to Buddhist theory, we have lives and lives to come. Therefore, there is no need
to be anxious or have a strong emotion to run after something. This is also true for spiritual practice. We need to practise compassion well, but this doesn't mean that we need to be nervous. We don't need to practise anxiously and nervously, saying, "Oh, I'm getting old now and I have to finish all these things". No, you can get old and you can die. You may even die tomorrow, so what? You will be coming back, as there are many lives to come. We should just improve the quality of every session in the continuity of life.

-----------------
Abridged from Walking an Uncommon path. Follow HH Gyalwang Drukpa on speakingtree.in

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP