THINKER'S ALMANAC - December 8

Subject:  Enlightenment - Buddha and the Bodhi Tree

Event: Bodhi Day

 

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. -Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama (560-380 BCE) was a prince who lived in northern India.  In line to be the next king, Siddhartha lived a life of wealth and luxury. In his twenties, however, he became discontented and left home to seek enlightenment.  He spent six years living a life of austerity and meditation; however, he still did not find the enlightenment he was looking for.  

 

Finally, one day he resolved to sit under a bodhi tree and not get up or leave until he had achieved enlightenment. At dawn, on what traditionally is celebrated on December 8, Siddhartha experienced the Great Awakening and became Buddha (which means “the enlightened one”).

 

For the next forty-five years, Buddha taught his disciples what he had discovered while meditating under the bodhi tree, his Four Noble Truths:  first, that suffering is an innate and unavoidable part of life; second, that desire and craving are the cause of suffering; third, that letting go of desire and craving is the key to overcoming suffering; fourth, that following the Middle Way -- a path that is neither overly indulgent nor overly ascetic -- is the prescription necessary for overcoming suffering.  The Middle Way is also known as the Eightfold Path:  right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration (1).

 

In his book The Happiness Hypothesis, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt points out Buddha’s brilliant metaphor for understanding our divided self, the tension within our mind between our chaotic desires, our emotions, and our conscious, rational self.  To illustrate this, Buddha asks us to imagine our mind as a wild elephant:

In days gone by this mind used to stray wherever selfish desire or lust or pleasure would lead it.  Today this mind does not stray and is under the harmony of control, even as a wild elephant is controlled by a trainer. (2)

 

Later in his book, Haidt explains this metaphor into his well-known elephant and the rider metaphor (See THINKER’S ALMANAC - September 22 ).

Challenge - Buddha’s Words of Wisdom:  Do some research on quotations by Buddha.  When you find one you like, write it out.  Then, explain why you think it provides wisdom and insight.

Sources:

1-Bassham, Gregory. The Philosophy Book. New York:  Sterling, 2016: 24.

2-Haidt, Jonathan. The Happiness Hypothesis. Basic Books, 2006: 2.