Choosing Our Problems
April 23rd, 2008 | Teachings |We let things become problems only if choose to do so. Of course, sometimes things are problems but most of the time they are not. They may inconveniences, annoyances, and such but they really are not problems. If we do encounter genuine problems, we have choices.
One is to become upset, overwhelmed, victimized. We can act like nothing like this should ever happen to us. The Buddha outlined 84,000 problems. Once he told a farmer that the farmer had the 84,001st problem. That was that he did not want to have any problems.
The second and better choice is to look at the situation in a realistic manner. Yes, we may have a problem. We can identify the problem and solve it to the best of our abilities. Every problem has a solution. Of course we want things to be solved to our liking, but if we do that we are clinging to the notion that we should not have any suffering.
Often we can look at the ego and find the culprit of much of our suffering. We do not want problems. We do not want annoyances, we do not want to give in. This is all because the ego is
very powerful and does not like to be threatened. How nice it is if we can just put the ego aside and rationally look at things.
Naturally, this is not our nature and it can be difficult to learn this behavior. Our ego says “no, no!” Some people expect everything to work out just right for them. We make mountains out of molehills. This is not a right view. If one has that view, it is no wonder they have much suffering. We are taught from an early age to have a strong ego and view of ourselves. So when we look to control the ego, it is a battle with all that we have grown up with.
Some students misinterpret these types of teachings as to say we are trying to get rid of the ego. This is not the point. We are looking only to rid ourselves of the up and down of thoughts. If we are clinging to the thought of getting rid of our ego, that becomes just another form of ego. The ambition to rid ourselves of ego becomes just another form of suffering.
Therefore, the important thing to work on is to not struggle one way or the other. Do not get caught up in the ego and do not try to eradicate it. Just look at your thoughts impartially. Do your best to flow with the nature of thought and do not filter them through the ego.
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