Page 7 - EH70

LEAD ARTICLE | EASTERN HORIZON 5

The ethical path that is offered “The root of fear is our mistaken You teach mindfulness and
by Buddhism is based on a deep view regarding the nature of death. concentration, and yet today’s
understanding of interbeing. What We fear death because we feel that world is marked by ever-
happens to the individual influences once we become dead, we become decreasing attention spans…
what happens in the whole of nothing. Yet modern science teaches
society and the whole planet. In this us that nothing is created, nothing is “Many of us do not know how to
way the practice of mindfulness lost and everything is transformed. be truly present to the people we
helps us to make a distinction Observing a cloud we can ask love and the wonders of life that are
between what is good and evil, right whether it can die. Can a cloud available in the present moment.
and wrong. from something become nothing? Our minds are easily distracted, and
Looking deeper, we can see that the the market constantly supplies us
When we’re mindful, we can see the cloud can only become rain, snow, with new ways to keep our mind in
destruction that has been caused hail, and then again water vapor. this state. Our body is here, but our
to the animals and the planet in Even our nature is like that of the mind is lost in our plans regarding
order to produce meat for our cloud. Just as rain and snow are future, regret for what concerns the
consumption. With this awareness, the continuation of the cloud, our past, and the dissatisfaction and
eating vegetarian food becomes actions of body, speech and mind unease we feel in the present. Not
an act of love towards ourselves, continue us forever. “ long ago we were invited to Google
towards our ecosystem and the headquarters in California to teach
planet. Many of us are running after We live in a world full of conflict and the practice of mindfulness to more
fame, power, money or sensual social injustice, as a Buddhist how than seven hundred employees.
pleasures. We think that these can you improve it? “Conflict and The first thing that we shared with
things can bring happiness, but injustice arise from people’s minds. them was the practice of stopping
on the contrary, they can lead us The ethical path that is offered because in today’s society we are
to destroy our body and our mind. by Buddhism shows us practical always running. When we are able
Young people often confuse sex with ways to cultivate true love and to stop, we can pay attention to
true love, but in reality an empty true happiness in ourselves. When everything that is happening in our
sexuality can destroy love, and these elements are present, we can bodies and in our minds and this
bring even more desire, loneliness create peace in ourselves and in the is the way in which we can begin
and despair. Mindfulness helps us world. When our mind is driven to take care of ourselves. In the
to develop our understanding about by ambition, fear, and greed, social present moment we already have
the other person. True love cannot injustice then violence will always more than enough conditions for
exist without understanding. “ result. The practice of mindfulness our happiness. We just need to stop
helps us to cultivate happiness and and recognise them in order to
Is it possible to overcome the fear peace in the present moment. And touch true happiness.” EH
of death? this is a wonderful contribution to

world peace, and at the same time
the foundation on which to base our
activism.”