Bita Enayati, Yuichi Asakura; Jen B. (Dharma Buddhist Med), CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
It's beneficial to remind ourselves that our minds are like icebergs. What is seen is tiny compared to the vast unseen.
A young couple moved into a new apartment building. Each Saturday the wife looked out and said to her husband, "Look at the neighbor's laundry hanging there. It so dirty! They must be using the wrong detergent."
This went on until one Saturday, the wife woke up, looked, and said, "Look how beautiful and clean their laundry. They must have switched detergents." The husband clarified, "No, I woke up early and cleaned our window."
Once upon a time a princess in the Dragon Palace under the sea held up a jewel and said to the fish, “I'll give a prize to anyone who can tell me what color this is.” Each of them named a different color:
The black porgy said it was black, the bluefish said it was blue, the whitefish said it was silver. They asked the princess, “Who is right?” She replied, “The jewel is transparent. It has no color of its own. It simply reflects each of your colors.”
Similarly, we are unable to see anything except through the prism of thought and emotion. When it comes to examining ourselves in particular, it is impossible to take off our tinted glasses of partiality and self-seeking. Egoism clouds our vision.
In general, all of us have poor memories and are forgetful. If we become aware of this, we can write ourselves a note to become better organized. That way we can avoid spending an extra 100 hours a year searching for lost items.
The Buddha's disciples Cudapanthaka once asked the Buddha why he was born so stupid. The Buddha's answer was to cheer up because being aware of his foolishness made him nearly as wise as being enlightened. After dusting and cleaning the monastery for 20 years, he became an arhat, having attained the final stage of awakening.
It is not easy to become aware of one's own shortcomings or unknowingness. Many of us suffer because of our own misunderstandings. If we always think we're right, this mindset can damage our relationships.
Holding resentments and being overly proud can do the same thing. Because of these "dragons," some people find it difficult to ask for help. We can be merciless to others if we think they're in the wrong.
This shows how our minds are complex and hard to fathom, like an iceberg. We might not have access to all the information we need or may be influenced by our own biases, unaware of their grip on our misperceptions.
Having the illusion of always being right, pride, not asking for help, and holding resentments towards others cause many problems in the world.
Maintaining right view (samma ditthi) means being aware of our misperceptions as much as possible. Overall, of course, we are only aware of the tip of the iceberg.
By learning Buddhism, we begin to understand ourselves better. It's beneficial to be able to apologize when we need to rather than trying to maintain the upper hand. Having humility is important.
We can deepen our understanding of the Buddha's teaching, called the Dharma, by belonging to a sangha or community where we can listen to the Buddha's wisdom.
These are the three gems of greatest value in the world: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the [Enlightened] Sangha.
When we work on ourselves with each other we are better able to choose good conditions and practice wisely. The more we practice, the more we are able to act in ways that bring harmony and compassion into the world.
Such Dharma lessons are possible thanks to the generosity of those who support us. To support our cause, offer a donation via PayPal or Venmo to Bita Enayati at bitae22@hotmail.com. If interested in learning about Buddhism but have a scheduling conflict, write me for a one-on-one session. Passcode is 426646.
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