Day 104 / 108 Challenge

#104

"I bow to accept all of the things I have done."

Mindfully enjoying breakfast

From today’s reading I loved the section that described a relationship between the suffering and the joy. If we begin to think about our experiences in life, we quickly notice that there are ups and downs. One step deeper into thinking, we notice that we experience ups because we had experienced the downs before, and vice-versa. Then we come to conclusion that there is joy because there is pain, and there is pain because there is joy.

One of the Buddhist practices is to be free from the suffering. Some may think that we must eliminate joy in order to eliminate suffering. However, this is not true. We must acknowledge the existence of both, but at the same time we must know that both suffering and joy are relative truth. The absolute truth does not change.

Think of it like this. When we look at the waves in the ocean, we have different perception of each waves. It can be high or low. It can be short or long-lived. It can head more towards left or right. Despite the differences, all waves come to an end when they reach the shore. Now, imagine our lives as waves in the ocean. Sometimes it can be high (joyful), and sometimes it can be low (painful). And in the end, we face death as waves come to an end when they reach the shore.

However, ultimately waves are made out of water. The fact that waves are high or low, short or long-lived, and left or right-directed, does not change the fact that they are water. Whether the swell is there or not, water is always there. Water is the absolute truth. Waves are only relative truth.

This is the core teaching behind the Buddhism’s “free of suffering”. We are not trying to escape from suffering by eliminating the joy. We are acknowledging that suffering and joy coexist in this world, but they are merely the relative truth, the result of our perception. Knowing that the absolute truth is not changing, the fact that we are living in this earth for example, can free us from suffering. Because it can both exist or not exist depending on our views.

We put meanings into the absolute truth (a life event), thus creating the relative truth (our feelings or thoughts based on the event) which creates the experience of the suffering and joy.

In summary, there are two ways to free ourselves from suffering (or being sad). One is to know that good times are coming, because suffering cannot exist without joyful times. And the other is to look at events that caused suffering as is (viewing the absolute truth underneath the event), instead of putting any meanings behind it (viewing the relative truth). Like how different waves come to existence and cease to exist at the shore, while ultimately they have been just the same water the entire time.

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Challenge Log

Requirements
No Snacks No drinks or desserts exceeding weekly limit	No snacks
Water intake (max 2L)	1.5L
2x Pomodoro flows (read min. 10 pages)	Buddhist teaching
Productive activity (write a journal or a blog; create a product)	Journalling
Physical activity (min. 45 minutes)	REST DAY - Outdoor walk
Wildcard (any 1 of read/produce/exercise above)	(PRODUCE) Deep cleaning the house (PRODUCE) IG Post

What I am thankful for today

++ I am grateful to have set of clothes that I feel confident in wearing.

++ I am grateful to have someone like an author of the book I am reading who enlighten us with the knowledge to better our lives.

++ I am grateful for having access to the internet, and have technology to document everything to improve my life easily.

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