nibbana

[Erin Wells]

Dear monastics,

I wish you a happy New Year. .

I am very thankful of all that i have learned from the talks available for download, as it is it has been wonderful information that can help anyone who listens.

What might be a misunderstanding on my part and a result of listening to things out of context, is it just seems so few people will actually attain release from suffering that it is my understanding is the goal of the practice. Just based on what I've heard in the downloads, it seems that very few actually make it, especially if you are not a pro (a monk or nun).

In other religions, if you are run of the mill ordinary good you will probably be in heaven someday (you never really know for sure it depends on God), but in Buddhism, if chances are very slim that you ever will make it then it's hard to believe it will make that much difference if you put your heart and soul into practice.

I would be grateful to hear your thought on this.

[Ajahn Brahmali]

Dear Erin,

Happy new year to you, too!

It is true that few people travel the Buddhist path to its end. But any practice you do will have a positive effect on your life, and it's cumulative! As you keep going, you will find that old problems no longer matter. You will find that your mind brightens up and that the world looks like a more beautiful place. You will feel better about yourself and your relations with others will improve. And as long as you keep the practice up you will be heading in this direction. Isn't that wonderful! To me this is reason enough to practice the Buddhist path.

But there is much more. Also in Buddhism we speak of rebirth in good destinations. If you would like to enjoy a good life next time around - and in certain types of rebirth you will be able to remember your past life as a human and so you will be able to compare - then how you live your life now is absolutely crucial. Live well and reap good consequences; that is a large part of what Buddhism is about.

In the end, however, even good rebirths are impermanent. The wheel of samsara turns relentlessly. If you really want to end all suffering, Nibbana is the only option. And by practicing well in this life, you are actually moving in that direction. Even if you don't make it all the way this time around, you are in a good position to continue your practice in your next life. So the more headway you make now, the better is your starting point when you get reborn.

So putting your heart and mind (not sure about "soul" ) into the practice is extremely important. It is all about your own sense of well-being on every possible level. And when you have a sense of well-being, you will be so much more effective at spreading that well-being to others. Win-win as they say.

Go for it and enjoy it!

With metta.

[Erin Wells]

Dear Ajahn

Thank you, you have cleared up my uncertainty and misunderstanding.

If I understand correctly, you can do better than heaven, if you really work at it..

I guess the reason why what I have heard in the downloads has such a compelling pull, it really does not divert from what we are already up against and so is a continuation of what we deal with anyway in life. What you do now is crucial, as you have said, to your future Buddhist or not. Like for example if you are at a job that has a pension. Every single day, a little bit of the earning goes to the pension, and when you can no longer work you do not have to live on the sidewalk and have to add to the inevitable trouble that comes with old age with complications of being homeless etc. If you did not keep the job with the pension and went after higher paid alternatives, then later you might suffer.

The same if you pay month to month on a house, eventually you own it and have earned the right to live there with no more payment. If you eat right and exercise, you are more healthy and every minute of the day you are more comfortable than if you had not done this. Everything is like this, if you are here anyway you might as well do things that are likely to have a better outcome.

Many thanks

[Eamonn McGrath]

Dear Erin,

Happy new year to you, too!

It is true that few people travel the Buddhist path to its end. But any practice you do will have a positive effect on your life, and it's cumulative! As you keep going, you will find that old problems no longer matter. You will find that your mind brightens up and that the world looks like a more beautiful place. You will feel better about yourself and your relations with others will improve. And as long as you keep the practice up you will be heading in this direction. Isn't that wonderful! To me this is reason enough to practice the Buddhist path.

But there is much more. Also in Buddhism we speak of rebirth in good destinations. If you would like to enjoy a good life next time around - and in certain types of rebirth you will be able to remember your past life as a human and so you will be able to compare - then how you live your life now is absolutely crucial. Live well and reap good consequences; that is a large part of what Buddhism is about.

In the end, however, even good rebirths are impermanent. The wheel of samsara turns relentlessly. If you really want to end all suffering, Nibbana is the only option. And by practicing well in this life, you are actually moving in that direction. Even if you don't make it all the way this time around, you are in a good position to continue your practice in your next life. So the more headway you make now, the better is your starting point when you get reborn.

So putting your heart and mind (not sure about "soul" ) into the practice is extremely important. It is all about your own sense of well-being on every possible level. And when you have a sense of well-being, you will be so much more effective at spreading that well-being to others. Win-win as they say.

Go for it and enjoy it!

With metta.

Hi Ajahn and Erin,

I too appreciate your simplistic response to this question from Erin, Ajahn. I am very new to Buddhism and just reading and learning with great interest, for the better making of me as a person for myself and society. Buddhism has really opened my usual closed way of thinking and already via the reading I have done and the meditation I have undertaken over the last few months, I am much more accepting and less judgemental. I am feeling a lot more free.

My interest and journey will continue and the reply fromm Ajahn Brahmali above is why I continue. We might not reach the unltimate goal in this lifetime, but if we understand and follow the teaching of Buddha, we will be healthier and happier for it in this life-time .....at the very least.

Thankyou

[Ajahn Brahmali]

Dear Eamonn,

I am glad you are benefiting and I am glad to be of service.

With metta.