Shakyamuni
Buddha lived some 2,500 years ago and is considered to be the founder of the
Buddhist religion. Among the many things taught in Buddhism is compassion
for all living beings. Compassion requires selflessness. Mahayana Buddhism
encourages us to seek the Bodhisattva path, and to develop the aspiration to
attain enlightenment for the benefit
of all beings. Whether one chooses to join the Buddhist religion or
not, Buddhism can teach us all about compassion and selflessness.
A
paradox is that while we may be the direct beneficiaries of
"enlightenment", if this is our only goal, we will
not attain it because we will still have the mind of self-grasping and
attachment to enlightenment itself. We not only need to be completely selfless,
we have to be unattached to our selflessness. This is a most difficult
thing to do.
Another
paradox related to the one above is that our happiness is directly tied
to the level we are able to seek happiness and benefit for others.
The more we look for happiness in external "stuff", the more
it will elude us. The more we seek to give happiness to others,
the more we will experience it in our own lives.
Of
the many things we carry in our store, the statues of Kwan
Yin are close to being my favorite because they remind me of this quality
of selfless compassion. I have dedicated a page to her, with the story of my
favorite legend concerning Kwan
Yin, the Chinese Bodhisattva of Compassion.
"There
is no magic except for what believing makes so"
