Our present birth is to be thought of as resembling a journey along a road. It is necessary then to have a good look and discover which is the right and which the wrong way to walk this road. If we just follow the crowd, we may well go astray and miss the true destination. This is not the kind of walking we have in mind when we speak of "walking the Path". By "walking the Path" we mean progress towards nirvana, towards freedom from the unsatisfactory condition.
If this comparison of our present birth to a journey along a road is still unclear, the matter must be thought over deeply, discussed, and studied thoroughly. In this study and practice, we can find help and guidance in the teachings of the Buddha, the one who succeeded in walking the Path right to the end. Unfortunately, however, most people take no interest in the Buddha's teaching as a guide to the Path and how to walk it.
Now here is an important point to consider: this person who is to walk the Path- just which particular person is it? Or if it is a number of people, how many? Taking the broad outlook we can see that it is really the whole of humanity, mankind in general. Think about it. As long as no one exists who knows the Path and how to walk it, most people are sure to stray from the Path. But slowly and by degrees the right way is found, little by little the Path is re-discovered, until the time comes when there arises a fully enlightened being, a Buddha, someone who manages to walk the perfectly right Path. In other words, walking the Path is a long-term project which mankind is engaged in collectively until such time as some exceptional individual happens to increase so much in insight that he manages to walk it right to the end.
If this comparison of our present birth to a journey along a road is still unclear, the matter must be thought over deeply, discussed, and studied thoroughly. In this study and practice, we can find help and guidance in the teachings of the Buddha, the one who succeeded in walking the Path right to the end. Unfortunately, however, most people take no interest in the Buddha's teaching as a guide to the Path and how to walk it.
Now here is an important point to consider: this person who is to walk the Path- just which particular person is it? Or if it is a number of people, how many? Taking the broad outlook we can see that it is really the whole of humanity, mankind in general. Think about it. As long as no one exists who knows the Path and how to walk it, most people are sure to stray from the Path. But slowly and by degrees the right way is found, little by little the Path is re-discovered, until the time comes when there arises a fully enlightened being, a Buddha, someone who manages to walk the perfectly right Path. In other words, walking the Path is a long-term project which mankind is engaged in collectively until such time as some exceptional individual happens to increase so much in insight that he manages to walk it right to the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment