Within
Buddhism there is a concept know as the Three Doors of Liberation. The Three
Doors of Liberation are emptiness, signlessness and aimlessness. All Buddhists
accept these liberations and teach this concept throughout schools. “These
Three Doors are sometimes called the Three Concentrations. When we enter these
doors, we dwell in concentration and are liberated from fear, confusion, and
sadness”(146). In other words entering into these Three Doors of Liberation
helps calm one self and frees us from anxiety and stress. The First Door is
called emptiness, by this the Buddha mean empty of something. It is healthy to
practice the concept of emptiness. “The practice is to nourish the insight into
emptiness all day long…When we touch these things deeply, we see the interbeing
and interpenetrating nature of all that is” (146). We have to be sure to
realize emptiness does not mean nonexistence but rather interdependent
co-arising. The Second Door is signlessness. This concept discusses issues such
as “As long as we are caught by signs- round, square, solid, liquid, gas- we
will suffer”(149). Fear and attachment come from being caught within signs. We
need to break through signs to be in touch with our reality. The Third and
final Door of Liberation is aimlessness. “There is nothing to do, nothing to
realize, no program, no agenda” (152). What we mean by this is that the purpose
of a cat is to be a cat; the purpose of you is to be yourself. Aimlessness
allows us to enjoy ourselves and everything else in this world. We need to know
that we already have everything we need to know, it would only be detrimental
for us to go out and look for something we only believe we want. As said on
page 153, “Just be. Just being in the moment in this place is the deepest
practice of meditation”. Just allow yourself to cherish in the moment and not
search aimlessly around for something you will not find. We have to remember
that we do not need anything; we already have what we want.
My sisters whom I appreciate very much |
People are
always running around doing something. Everyone in American is always striving
to be the best they can be and to improve what abilities they already possess.
We need to begin to realize that we don’t need to do anything and that we
already have everything we want. “There is no need to put anything in front of
us and run after it”(152). We need to appreciate everything in front of us and
realize we already have all that we need. A family friend of ours was a very
athletic, smart and great mother. She was always on the go and always striving to become
better, whether it was athletic wise or going back to school and getting a
higher degree. She was always on the go and bettering herself each and
everyday. You could tell she never took the time to sit around and realize she
already is what she wants to become. One
day, she was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and given only a short while
left to live. From that day on her attitude changed drastically. She began
taking the time to realize how successful of a person she already was and that
she already had everything she could ever wish for. She was now practicing the
Third Door of Liberation, aimlessness. “In aimlessness, we see that we do not
lack anything, that we are what we want to become, and our striving just comes
to a halt”(153). Now she was able to enjoy every moment in her precious life.
Sadly, she did pass away a few months later. After witnessing this I always
have been one to appreciate everything I already have and realize I don’t need
to become anything else. This concept can lead to a very positive life ahead.
“Aimlessness is stopping and realizing the happiness that is already available”
(155). It is very important to be able to take a step back from the world and remind yourself to just live in the moment and embrace everything you have because that is all you will ever need.
Nhá̂t, Hạnh. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy & Liberation : The Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and Other Basic Buddhist Teachings. New York: Broadway, 1999. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment