Great
is small for him,
long is short for him,
and all his distances are near.
(Chuang Tzu)
Serenity
Statues of religious figures such as Buddha usually have a serene
smile.
The smile is not condescending or indifferent.
It is the smile of
compassion.
Buddha was not cold and unfeeling - he knew that suffering was part of
living and even
life itself must some day pass.
Putting life in perspective can promote inner peace.
Contemplating life is a good way of finding personal balance and happiness,
of realising that everyone has problems and nobody can be happy all the
time.
Child-like
Taoism advocates an almost child-like
approach to life.
Children are interested in whatever holds their curiosity.
If that moment passes, they become engaged in something else.
The danger with this particular metaphor is to regard it as
being about novelty and distraction.
In taoism the meaning is quite different.
Child-like is seen as a condition where the mind is not jaded by experience
and takes each moment as it comes, unhindered by memory or expectation.
Detachment
Detachment is not about being unmoved by life...
It is a condition of inner
composure where we accept life as it is - sometimes we will be
happy, other times sad.
Living involves participation; it means getting dirty.
By accepting the ups and downs of life, we can approach them
with
equanimity.
This is the way that it is.
You can try and fight it or you can grin philosophically in the knowledge
that every moment is fresh, unique and special.
Tomorrow is another day.
The extremes of emotional drama fade because frustration passes with the realisation that this is life.
World-view
It is easy to forget how vast the world is, and how inconceivably
complex.
Reality does not revolve around any one being.
Seeing that we are all interrelated and
special is an important step to becoming
detached.
Page created 11 December 2000