Journal 23 - Buddhist Doctrine

Life is full of suffering. This is what I can agree to. I have meditated in many Buddhist meditation centers and for various time lengths. I believe some of the Buddhist doctrines but for some, I question a bit. The Buddhist doctrine is right most of the time. Life is full of suffering. If you think of it, we are just people trying to lessen the suffering by distracting ourselves with pitiful objects which are all temporary. One day, you will die and you can't reject that fact. However, we are engulfed in our own little worlds, trying to make that short life as "pleasant" as possible by using or doing things that you shouldn't. Suffering is caused by attachment to things, mainly your attachment to life. If you are attached to something, you suffer for it. If you love something, you would try to keep it and protect it. However, is the thing we are protecting really worth our time, energy, and protection if it is only temporary? If there is no attachment, you would have nothing to worry about. From what Buddhism says, if you end attachment, you could end suffering and reach Nirvana. I like the concept of Nirvana but some people can't grasp the idea of it. The idea is that we have two things: the mind and the body. This is inevitable and every living creature has this. There is also the world and we are connected to the world by attachment. Let's just say we are a monkey and the world is a log. There is a rope tying us with the tree but the tree is there by itself and the monkey is there by itself. What we are connected is with the rope, which is attachment. Without the rope, we would be able to be free. That is what Nirvana is. It is peace and freedom. The only way to eradicate the mind and the soul, which are the potential sources for suffering, is to take away attachment and reach Nirvana. I think that a lot of the Buddhist ideals and logic are correct and I could see that being applied to my own life. I could use the meditation techniques I learned to remove stress and stay calm. This is a very important skill in life. Just simple breathing can bring calmness and you can empty yourself and be in peace with the moment, with life. It can sometimes even give me hope if I truly believe in the concept. Sometimes, I get stressed thinking about life, death, people and what not. When this happens, I would meditate and I could get a glimpse of hope by knowing that there is still a way and that it is never too late. May be if I can take away attachment, I would be peaceful. However, the concept of other beings are confusing. I do not believe this sometimes because I do not see it with my own eyes. It is said that there are 31 beings such as animals, humans, nats, people in hell and so on. I could not believe this because I can only see it through paintings and writings. However, I think this could be true and that we are only blocked because we are clouded by attachment. May be if I did more meditation I could see them or may be at least experience their presence. Finally, I think everyone should learn to meditate, to be mindful and to be a good human being.