Just now, as I think about the simplicity of contentment, I wonder at the angst and suffering I and we, and they and you, wantonly accept and manage because we are so clouded by everything, literally everything, that never mattered anyway. The money, the cars, the shiny job, and sparkly things that somehow misconstrue and contort so that we believe, I mean to the point of madness, believe, that there really is a brass ring or a pot of gold. We spend so much time chasing rainbows that we ignore the simplicity of the bright white light emanating from them. We forget about the joy of contentment.
The writings on contentment hold that contentment, sastutthi in Pali, is the freedom from anxiety, wanting, or craving. It is viewed as the greatest wealth because it frees us from delusion so that we can consciously choose to see what is here and accept things as they are…and the kicker….we can manifest the grace of gratitude and be content.
I cannot recall when I had no ulterior motive for whatever I was doing. School to get out of my house, skipping to get out of school…College to get out of working and figuring out I needed the job to retire from working…the logic of this human plan doesn’t jibe anymore.
I practice the basic principles of Dharma – wisdom, kindness, patience, generosity, and compassion. That’s pretty straightforward. I very, very rarely remain within the boundaries thereof, but I salute each day with intention.
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
The Buddha’s Four Noble Truths explore human suffering. The words to describe these truths are simple to comprehend, but practicing them is a lifetime goal.
Dukkha: Suffering exists; there is a cause and an end. Dukkha-dukkha – the suffering of suffering. This refers to the physical and emotional discomfort and pain all humans experience.
Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering. Suffering is due to attachment. It is the desire to have and control things. It can take many forms: craving for sensual pleasures, the desire for fame, the desire to avoid unpleasant sensations like fear, anger, or jealousy.
Nirodha: There is an end to suffering. Attachment can be overcome. Suffering ceases with the final liberation of Nirvana (Nibbana). The mind experiences complete freedom, liberation, and non-attachment. It lets go of any desire or craving.
Magga: To end suffering, you must follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The Path in itself is the way to the cessation of suffering.
Interpretation
Of these Noble Truths, the one I sit with most often is Dukkha, suffering. Not as one might imagine suffering, like the pulling of fingernails, but more so as a form of liberation. It is the understanding or, I suppose, the acceptance that everything is insubstantial that I find freedom. It, like they, just do not matter. It is all impermanent, and suffering through those and them is a choice, as is the duration of said suffering. When I am aware and mindful of my suffering, I experience freedom from it, from them, and from all that plagues me.
Everything is insubstantial
That being said. Most assuredly, I get caught up in the humanness of my suffering and, from time to time, even seek it out. I move away from and breathe into a practice of faith with the tides of my life. When I have had enough of the cacophony that inevitably follows the desire to avoid suffering I accept that I am suffering and I can move and breathe into a practice of acceptance which will relieve my experience. The issue is never the suffering (aversion) it is the unawareness of the suffering that causes the reaction (experience of).
This awareness comes from the practice of mindfulness – the foundation of meditation. The practice of applying the Four Noble Truths and blending into the Noble Eightfold Path is my living meditation. I am a living practice of humanity and grace combined.
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