By Mary Layton
When I look at my life, I find that the biggest question is always the same: How can I be a good person leading a meaningful and productive life? Especially when things are difficult and stressful, when I feel overwhelmed. Buddhist philosophy tells us that suffering is a part of life. That we are the ones who create suffering in our minds through greed, hate, ignorance and just plain not knowing any better. Is there any hope for us Humans? How can we live meaningful and good lives in this world? I think it starts with paying attention to myself.
How do I go about my life? To be honest, most days I am rushing through my day. Taking care of so many details, constantly busy, moving. When I am very busy, I am less aware of the deeper things stirring inside of me. I then have the illusion that everything is just fine.
Now that I’m getting older I have slowed down: My foot hurts. Thank you foot for occasionally stopping me in my tracks! I have to rest, relax and I become more aware. The idea to be mindful of the very moment I find myself in, what am I doing, how am I doing it. Am I really tasting my food or just rushing to put food in my stomach? Do I experience myself in my activities? Am I aware of the essence of things as well as the essence of people? What are my words saying? And how do I say them? Am I listening? So instead of being a human doing I am a human being. Respect and experience myself as one.
It’s practicing what is called mindfulness, which starts with a decision to empty my mind of all unnecessary thoughts and keep it focused entirely on what I’m doing. What a different experience!
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