Embracing Life with Courage

 

This talk begins with a short acknowledgement of the Buddha’s life during this month of Wesak, followed by the importance to focus on fully engaging with life as we learn to contain the habits that cause attachment and dukkha. We learn with a spirit of playfulness and experimentation to redirect our thoughts, speech and actions into a more skilful way of living all with the guidance of the six paramitas, as we slowly come to recognise the selfless engagement and function of our true nature and its aspiration of revealing the true human being.

 

Comments:

 

Karen Piggin:

A reminder after Wesak of how important it is to ponder and take inspiration from the Buddha’s story. The second part of the talk provides further insight on attachment and the paramitas. I found it helpful to understand that attachment relates to all clinging, not just the things we like, but applies equally to fear and other aversions. The problem of engaging with life without attachment, of not falling into a void when the self is out of the way, is then discussed. Aloka shares how authentic change will lead to the wonderful experience of true human nature expressing itself through the paramitas.

 

Rob Grant:

Aloka draws upon the life of the Buddha to inspire us to: “begin to fulfil the liberated heart that just wants to be at one with this amazing experience so that’s there no separation between you and the wonderment of life.

 

James Ferguson:

I found there is a lot in this talk to ponder. As commented above, the insight into the nature of attachment being clinging in all its forms was particularly useful to me. Obvious maybe to cling onto to things and emotions that we like and want in our lives, not so obvious to cling onto things and emotions that we don’t like and very much want to be free of. Later in the talk Āloka points out the danger of becoming a “good Buddhist” and mistaking that for the fulfilment of the path. He clarifies the fulfilment of the path as being, through letting go of our attachments, to go beyond the conditioned mind and beyond any notion of a self.