July’s Inspiration - Between Ignorance and Enlightenment

Know Ourselves

People have two eyes with which to look at the world, to look at all matters, and to look at others, but they do not look at themselves. People have a differentiating mind. They know how and what others are doing. They know what is going on around them. They know what the world is like. But, they do not know themselves.

 People can see the faults of others, but not their own shortcomings. They can see the greed of others, but not their own stinginess. They do not see the deviant views of others, but not their own delusions. People know the world and understand history. They know their communities, friends, and relatives, but they do not know themselves.

 If people look at themselves in the mirror, they can see the features of their faces. They can see if they are good-looking or otherwise, but they cannot see their hearts. If there were a mirror that could reflect their minds, the greed, jealousy, selfishness, hatred, and grievances they might see would look really ugly indeed!

 There are compassionate and vicious people; which are we? There are generous and greedy people; which are we? There are people who tolerate others and those who can only be tolerated; which are we? Then, there are people who sacrifice themselves for others and those who benefit at the expense of others; which are we?

 As humans, we should be benevolent, ethical, and humble. We should have trust, righteousness, and equality. We should have loyalty, filial piety, and love. And we should be compassionate, generous, and joyful. In examining ourselves, do we possess all these human qualities?

 In fostering the strength to shoulder responsibility, we need to start from knowing and cultivating ourselves. We should be especially aware of our shortcomings and weaknesses. We must courageously face our faults in order to improve promptly and grow accordingly.

 In Buddhism, there is a well-known saying: "Know one's own original face." Do we really know our original face? Many are too busy calculating the gains and losses or blaming others for their lack of morals and knowledge. But, they do not care for the arising and cessation of their own thoughts. It is indeed regrettable if we do not know our ideals, responsibilities, and missions in life, thus wasting our lives away without accomplishing anything.

 The worst tragedy in the world does not know us. Someone who does not know himself or herself is often deluded about reality and lacking in conscience, thus obstructing the development of his or her life of wisdom. In learning Buddhism, we learn to develop our own true minds, to remove the masks we wear, to honestly analyze ourselves, and to know ourselves.

 Knowing ourselves is one of life's most important lessons. We should never take it lightly!