To be sincere in undertaking the study of Buddhism one has to be careful that it is not done for some worldly purpose because, at the ultimate level, Buddhism is not worldly. It is transcendent.
To give a more down to earth example, if I decide to become a physicist, I am doing so out of love of the subject, itself, not because I want to learn how to relax and have a much less stressful life. In Buddhism, it is the same thing. I should not be studying Buddhism to learn how to feel less anxious about a job, or to reduce the stress in my personal life, or to help my marriage.
In needs to be kept in mind that Buddhism is about waking up, seeing the true essence of reality from which external and subjective phenomena are composed. This cannot happen if we are obsessed with the worldly life, unconsciously using Buddhism as a tool by which to improve our chances of getting what we want. It doesn’t work that way.
"According to the world there's male and female, rich and poor. According to the Way there's no male or female, no rich or poor. When the goddess realized the Way, she didn't change her sex. When the stable boy" awakened to the Truth, he didn't change his status. Free of sex and status, they shared the same basic appearance." (the Wake-up Sermon of Bodhidharma)
Posted by: Reikon | February 07, 2012 at 11:25 PM