Dharma Talk Summary

May 30, 2010

Talk Given by Rev. Hye Kyong

9 Minutes

Dhammapada Reading: Chapter 20 "The Path"

The spiritual path is the eightfold path,

the truths are the four noble truths.

This is the path for purity of vision,

following it protects you from temptation,

following this path leads to the end of suffering.

This truth was declared once Buddha learned

how to pull the arrow out of suffering.

You must do your own work,

a Buddha can only guide you.

You know what I like? You ever see those things with the fan and the tube and looks like a person dancing? Every time I see those things they crack me up. I really like them. They don't have anything to do with my talk but I was just thinking about those things.

The other morning, I woke up and looked at myself and thought I looked like crap. I walked back and saw a picture of myself with my mom when I was 31 and looked pretty good.

Later on, my wife and I were driving and saw a couple pushing a baby carriage. The guy had gray hair and the woman did not. It got us talking about how when we get older we noticed how the media puts all this attention on youth.

My wife asked me "If you could go back would you want to go back?" I thought about it for a few minutes but said "no." It got me to thinking, when you're old, like Hae Doh (everyone erupts in laughter), living in the moment is easier, when you look out in your future there isn't much there. When you're young, you're living in the future all the time, thinking about I'll be this and I'll be that. But when you do that, a lot of everything else escapes. The moment escapes. Here's a little quote ---

"Most of us aren't willing to face the reality of impermanence and death.

That's because we forget our lives are transitory. We quarrel with each other as if we're going to live forever. But if we face the fact of death our quarrels will come to an end. We will realize the folly of fighting, when we ourselves are doomed to die. Excited by emotions, our thoughts are clouded. We do not see the truth about life. When we see the truth however, we become free of emotion."

Be happy now. Every moment you had in your life is leading to this moment. Going back sounds nice in your head, but you wouldn't be who you are today, if every moment, good or bad, didn't lead you here. You can make the most of your life now. But how can you do that? Take something you love, something you're passionate about, take that same passion and apply it to everything in your life.

A lot of times we lament on stuff we used to have. This job I had before, the girlfriend I had 10 years ago is hotter than the one I have now. We have all had the situations but the key is to make today the best you can. Forget about that stuff. Apply your efforts to today. That's Viriya Paramita (joyous effort).

I got this other quote that I thought was really good. ---

"The triple world originates from the discrimination of unrealities and where discrimination takes place there is duality, and the notion of permanency and impermanency. But the Tathagatas do not rise from this discrimination of unrealities. Thus, as long as there is discrimination, there will be the notion of permanency and impermanency. When discrimination is done away with, noble wisdom, which is based on the significance of solitude will be established."

Back to those dancing things. I was asking people about them to see if I was strange that I was finding so much happiness in them. People told me I could buy one. I thought about it for a while but I started thinking that if I had one that it wouldn't be cool anymore. The cool thing is that I can see it and be happy but if I had one all the time I would get sick of it. The thing is you have to appreciate it and let it go.