|
Some live life lightly as if it was a joke-and we sometimes call them useless bums. But these people are not necessarily unwise. We should all learn to see ourselves with some degree of amusement, remembering that our "selves" are illusory anyway. It is often the ego that demands us to take ourselves too seriously, making us pompous. Yes-being egoless is much easier said than done. But it can be trained from the basics!
For example, when you slip and fall in public in front of everybody (It happened to me before-it was such a ridiculous fall that I laughed till my sides ached!), try to grin it away! Do you know there's Compassion involved here? The people around you might feel uneasily tense to some extent if you were to pick yourself up grumbling, or even looking flustered and ashamed. That's Compassion for the crowd-assure them with a grin that you're okay! They might even smile back-it's true! And its Compassion for yourself for sure. It's okay to be occasional clowns as long as we learn to be more careful in future!
It takes spiritual effort to laugh the trivial things in life away. And one funny thing is that many things are indeed trivial and we do take them too seriously. I reckon life is a joke, but a serious joke! A difficult joke that has to be "caught" to be felt funny. Sometimes, the lessons learnt send us rip-roaring. But one day, with enough effort, we shall all smile gently like the Buddha.
For example, when you slip and fall in public in front of everybody (It happened to me before-it was such a ridiculous fall that I laughed till my sides ached!), try to grin it away! Do you know there's Compassion involved here? The people around you might feel uneasily tense to some extent if you were to pick yourself up grumbling, or even looking flustered and ashamed. That's Compassion for the crowd-assure them with a grin that you're okay! They might even smile back-it's true! And its Compassion for yourself for sure. It's okay to be occasional clowns as long as we learn to be more careful in future!
It takes spiritual effort to laugh the trivial things in life away. And one funny thing is that many things are indeed trivial and we do take them too seriously. I reckon life is a joke, but a serious joke! A difficult joke that has to be "caught" to be felt funny. Sometimes, the lessons learnt send us rip-roaring. But one day, with enough effort, we shall all smile gently like the Buddha.
Post a Comment