Buddhism

I came across this article, “The Power of a Quiet Life” by Lewis Richmond, recently and I quite like this quote— There are three principles of bodhisattva life I teach: keep your mind clear, be patient, and when you see an opportunity to act, do so without hesitation. Now I am thinking about adding a fourth principle: live a quiet life. Don’t be distracted by things. When the insanities of the world become too noisy and preposterous, remain inwardly calm. If you don’t see what you can do, don’t do anything. Just wait. Things will change; they always do. Change is the Buddha’s first and best teaching. In some ways, change has never been more in the air than now. The aspiring bodhisattva rides change the way a thrown stone skips over water. Change is our best hope and strongest power. ...

Having recently read through Robert Wright’s book ‘Why Buddhism is True,’ I was impressed by Buddhism’s intricate comprehension of human psychology. While the book doesn’t directly set Buddhism against Stoicism, my previous exposure to Stoic made me see how the two philosophies could complement each other. Stoicism, particularly its modern interpretations, claims that achieving eudaimonia - the good life - implies “living according to one’s nature.” Stoics define our nature as being “social and rational.” This, in my perspective, is more readily comprehensible than the similar but more intricate concept nirvana presented in Buddhism. ...

When I read the book Strangers Drowning, I was very much impressed by the work of Ittetsu Nemoto, a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk, who dedicated his life to helping suicidal people. The book also briefly described his four-year extremely harsh ascetic training in an especially strict monastery. My interest was aroused. “Why does someone willingly go through such unimaginable hardship willingly?” This is why I picked up Eat Sleep Sit: My Year at Japan’s Most Rigorous Zen Temple by Kaoru Nonomura. At the age of 30, Nonomura left everything behind and enrolled in Eiheiji, one of the most rigorous Zen monasteries in Japan to train as a monk. The book is his memory of his time at Eiheiji. ...