This summer, I had the opportunity to spend time at the Samye Ling Buddhist monastery. On the first afternoon, I went for a walk with one of the monks, who showed me different parts of the monastery and explained their meaning. He also shared with me what he considers the most important messages in Buddhist teachings. I’ll try to convey it in my own words.
☸️ Humans are spiritual beings. If we don’t cultivate this part of us, it’s easy to get lost in the world’s complexity and lack a satisfying direction.
☸️ The basic “lostness” lies in our tendency to be mistaken about what brings us happiness.
☸️ It’s the cultivation of good thoughts, gratitude, and awareness what makes us happy.
☸️ The human mind is like soil. There are various seeds (thoughts) in it, and the ones we water and nourish grow.
☸️ That’s why we can cultivate thoughts that are kind to ourselves and others (for example through loving-kindness or gratitude practice).
☸️ Thoughts that don’t support us, we respect and welcome, but we don’t nurture them.
☸️ Everything we experience is ours. It reflects how we’ve lived before, and we’re fully responsible for it. Accepting this responsibility gives us the power and freedom to set our direction.
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