In chapter four, Shantideva is trying to encourage us to press on toward spiritual enlightenment. This chapter is very challenging because it is filled with imagery of hell and talk of life in the lower realms. But what is really happening here?
To me, I view Buddhism as a very psychological religion. So what strikes me as a part of the overall message of this chapter is that in the world that we inhabit it is impossible to maintain the current state of yourself without changing. Because everything is constantly changing if you are not working to improve, than samsara is pulling you down into lower states of consciousness. If you are not actively striving to achieve greater love, forgiveness, patience and other spiritual virtues then the gravity, so to speak, of samsara will pull you down into more negative or selfish states of being. Therefore, the best way to use this life is to be proactive in your spiritual life and take action while you have the freedom and inclination to do so. If you wait for tomorrow to take up serious spiritual practice you will inevitably end up in less ideal circumstances in the future. You may have less opportunity or interest in pursuing spiritual development.
Shantideva implores us in this chapter to seize this moment and not to give up this chance, which is so rare and precious. After all, circumstances may seize it from you at any time. Shantideva points out that this is an opportunity that we have not seized before (from his perspective, even in our many past lives). Obviously relatively few are enlightened Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, even though authentic teachers have undoubtably crossed our paths at some point in the past. It is for these reasons that we should earnestly take up the challenge and push ourselves to learn what we can, deeply and sincerely, in the here and now.
"If you are not actively striving to achieve greater love, forgiveness, patience and other spiritual virtues then the gravity, so to speak, of samsara will pull you down into more negative or selfish states of being. Therefore, the best way to use this life is to be proactive in your spiritual life and take action while you have the freedom and inclination to do so."
ReplyDeleteI agree. This puts me in mind of my years working in a drug-recovery program. Over time I began to realize that, though we are not all challenged with substance abuse, we all have unhealthy patterns of addiction that lead us in a downward spiral. Thus, to be healthy, to live in an upward spiral, we all most engage in the process of recovery. A recovering addict knows that you are never finished, never "recovered" but always in recovery. Each day is met with the determination to continue overcoming destructive behaviors and negative thought patterns and discovering new and brighter ways of being.