Tuesday 21 March 2017

my buddhist blog number 166

Hi Everybody,
Beautiful spring day here in the UK. Blue skies. Warm west wind. Cherry blossom is out. So is the white hawthorne blossom in the hedgerows. Definitely springtime. We're in the middle of this chapter on Buddhism and happiness , and we've reached a sub-heading....who needs problems?

No one comes the answer! None of us wants problems. Not ever. Of course we know in our hearts that problems and difficulties and challenges and crises of one kind or another are part of the fabric of all our lives, and utterly inescapable. In that sense we are all in the same boat, however different our life circumstances might seem on the outside. But for some reason we cling to the belief, the deeply-held desire, that the problems and the pain and suffering they tend to bring with them, are the exception rather than the rule.

The research shows that very different people facing completely different sorts of problems, will use very similar language in explaining it away to themselves. ' This is not really how my life is,' we say to ourselves, ' I just have to get through this difficult phase I'm going through, and then my life will  straighten out and I'll get back to normal.'

We know that once we get over this rough patch we are unlucky enough to be going through at the moment, a tough time at work, or a financial crisis, or conflict in a relationship or whatever, then for sure, our life will return to its normal state of calm and equanimity. Because that's the life state we desire, a life state without problems!

The net result of that view of life is that happiness or well-being comes to be defined as the absence of problems. But of course, there is no such place. None of us knows anyone, not a single person, who lives such a life. The reality is that problems and challenges and difficulties just keep on coming pretty much all the time, in one area of our life or another. And given this view of life, it is little wonder that we have developed a whole series of ruses or strategies to try to deflect  the problems and the suffering we associate with them.

And that's where we go next, to look at what Buddhism has to tell us about living with the problems of life and how it is eminently possible for all of us to do that, without losing inner core of hope and optimism and well-being.

Hope to see you then.
Thanks for reading.
Best wishes,
William
The Case for Buddhism is available on Amazon and as a download on Kindle.

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