FULL MOON

As solid rock
is unshaken by the wind,
so are those with wisdom undisturbed
whether by praise or blame.

Dhammapada v. 81

Sometimes we feel liked and appreciated, at other times we feel disliked and dismissed. Is there a way of staying steady while being praised and blamed, accepted and rejected? It was on a full-moon in the month of July that the Buddha first delivered his teachings encouraging the cultivation of wisdom. A wise perspective on life, he said, is what offers inner security and steadiness. He had been looking a long time for a solution to the frustrations of life. Once he found the freedom from all frustration and suffering he formulated his teachings into what we now know as the Four Noble Truths: there is suffering; there is a cause; there is freedom; and there is a practice we can do in pursuit of that freedom. The image of a rock unshaken by the wind is to inspire us to cultivate this wisdom.

With Metta,
Bhikkhu Munindo          (The picture is of "The Long Stone", a Megalithic monument near Mottistone in The West Wight!)