Inspiring Humanity

Zen Buddhists refer to the constant chatter of the mind as monkey mind. The Buddha held that the human mind is filled with drunken monkeys flinging themselves from tree branches, jumping around, and chattering nonstop. He meant that our minds are in constant motion.  Typical mind chatter sounds like the following: Your mind reading off a laundry list of to-do items. Your mind listing its fears, both real and imaginary. Your mind recalling hurtful things that have happened in the past. Your mind judging the present. Your mind creating catastrophic “what-if” scenarios of the future. As a result of this monkey mind, it’s nearly impossible to slow down and enjoy the present. In addition, all that negativity affects our mood—making us unhappy, angry, restless, and anxious; it hampers our ability to concentrate; it has a negative impact on our behavior; and it interferes with our ability to have positive interactions with others. It’s also very stressful to have a barrel of monkeys scree

A student should be able to understand things and have a good memory. A brahmin once said to the Buddha. “0! Venerable Buddha, what I have learnt before, I find it difficult to remember now. What are the reasons for this? The Buddha gave five reasons for forgetfulness. Just as colour added to water makes it unclear, so desire for things muddles the mind making it difficult to remember. Just as it is impossible to see into boiling water, likewise a mind seething with resentment or anger cannot clearly see. Just as the bottom cannot be seen of a pond covered with, weeds, a sleepy, lazy mind cannot see to understand it clearly. Just like the surface of water is stirred up by the wind, a restless mind is agitated and cannot think smoothly. Just as it is impossible to see through water in the dark, nothing can be found in the memory when they are doubts about what has been learned. These states of mind are the five hindrances (panca nivarana) that obstruct the mind and prevent it from

The dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity has not gone very far, in my opinion, because we have not been able to set up a solid ground for such dialogue. This is a reflection of the present situation.  Buddhists believe in reincarnation, the possibility for human beings to live several lives. In Buddhist circles, we do not use the word incarnation very much: we use the word rebirth. After you die, you can be reborn and can have another life. In Christianity, your life is unique, your only chance for salvation. If you spoil it, then you will never get salvation. You have only one life. Buddhism teaches that there is non-self, anatta. Christianity clearly teaches that a Christian is a personalist. Not only are you a person, self, but God is a person, and He has a self. The Buddhist teaching of emptiness and no substance sounds like the teaching of no being. Christianity speaks of being, of existence. The teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of the philosophy of being, la phil