道の糧
Nourishment of the Path
2024-05-13 18:00:00
Regardless of who they are, walking the singular path as a Buddhist practitioner and achieving enlightenment (= liberation) is not easy.
To accomplish this, one must persevere and walk the path to the end without giving up.
In reality, Buddhist practitioners will encounter various difficulties along the way.
To overcome all of these, it can be said that it is necessary to obtain the sustenance of the path as needed, and to proceed further with it.
Conversely, without such sustenance, continuing on the path would be difficult.
Now, what exactly constitutes the sustenance of the path?
It can be considered to include the following:
- Obtaining and keeping scriptures close at hand.
- Engaging in discussions about the teachings with like-minded individuals.
- Diligently practicing virtue and recognizing it as intrinsic to human nature.
- Gaining confidence in the belief that everyone, (oneself included,) can attain enlightenment.
- Cultivating conditions that foster conviction in the existence of Buddhas and enlightened beings.
- Cultivating a mindset that seeks enlightenment in the present life without attachment to past or future lives.
- Deepening understanding of concepts such as equality and equanimity.
- Developing the ability to let go of attachment to preferences and aversions.
And these are the very things that lead to the accumulation of merits.
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