After a particularly stressful day at work, I caught myself “stress-eating” some leftover catering at the office, which got me thinking about the little self-destructive habits we all have. Then I found this great video by 8-bit philosophy…
In Buddhism, this cycle of “aimless wandering” or Saṃsāra isn’t just limited to one life, but continues lifetime after lifetime, ad nauseum. As explained in this Buddhist sutra (translation by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu):
The Buddha: “This is the greater: the tears you have shed while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time—crying & weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing—not the water in the four great oceans.
Is there an end to endless cycle? Is there a way out? To me, it’s vital that one take stock and evaluate one’s life and ask these questions, but also that one at least tries to take those first steps out of the cycle. I can’t tell readers how to do that (still a work in progress myself), but I just want to impress upon you the importance of not being caught up in the cycle until it’s too late to get out.
Like Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, there’s much to be gained if you just stop and look around. 🙂
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 