FULL MOON – Living Wisely


Published Thursday, 28 January 2021

Surrendering oneself to Dhamma
leads to serene being.
The wise perpetually delight in the truth
taught by the Awakened One.


Dhammapada v.79

We are all aware, at least in theory, that self-centredness is a state to be avoided. However, have we ever enquired into just how and why it is so dangerous? That which we call the ‘self’ is not something we are born with. In fact it takes roughly seven years for a human being to develop a stable sense of individuality. And this sense of ‘self’ is not a secure thing. Perhaps it could be described as a dynamic process of patterns of mental and emotional activity. Attempting to find security by focussing on something that is inherently insecure is not at all sensible. Many who have practised meditation know the experience of stillness and serenity that exists even when much of that activity that we think of as ‘me’ has quietened down. They discover that they don't disappear just because the coarse level of thinking and emoting has ceased. There is still a sense of ‘knowing’. Surely focussing on this ‘knowing’ would be a wiser way to live.

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