EIGHT WINDS

Life even in the best of times can be challenging, which is why the Buddha taught the lesson about the Eight Winds. Through faith, practice and study we try to live lives of happiness, but often our emotions can play havoc as life deals us its daily hand. The Eight Winds can be divided into two groupings, positive winds and opposing winds. The Four positive winds include: prosperity, honor, praise and pleasure.
The Four opposing winds include: decline, disgrace, censure and suffering.

Quickly, we see how difficult it can be to remain on an even keal for surely we deserve great praise, how dare someone disgrace me with false gossip, the loss of my friend brings suffering, I feel so great winning five hundred dollars on a lottery ticket.

Nichiren shares with us "a truly wise person is not elated by prosperity" M.W. 1 - p. 206 But what does this mean? It means it is easy to be swayed by good things that happen
to us, and easy to be hurt by negative things that happen to us. The challenge to stay on the Middle Pathway to wisdom and enlightenment.

For example: over the past few days I received a strong rebuke for someone I admire and respect, then receive an e-mail receiving some harsh but constructive criticism about our website, which I know needs major changes even as I am learning some new software to make those changes. Since last Sunday I have been in meditation for the loss of a loved one. Then, I was attacked in a Bee swarm and received nine bee stings, ouch. Within the same few days I did a Sangha Home Meeting with a member in Victoria bringing great Joy. Then hours spent with my elder Son discussing life and the loss of his Grandfather.

Here we see disgrace, censure, suffering, praise, pleasure and honor all within a few hours of life here on mother Earth. All of which brought me, to remember the lesson within the Eight Winds.

I know this is the same for each of you, sometimes it seems we are in a week from Heaven and then just as suddenly a few days in Hell, some times one wind is stronger and longer than an other as we sift and sort out the meaning for ourselves. Sometimes it may seem like our suffering will never end, but it does as the universal Law of time shifts.

As we meditate on each of the Eight Winds, one at a time we deepen our understanding of each word and we ask how am I affected by each of these energies as they come and go.

We can ask, am I turning my earthly desires into wisdom and enlightenment, or am I wearing them on my sleeves. How many kinds of pleasure are there? How emotional
do I get when someone slanders me? How proud do I feel when someone tells me how great I AM? How many areas of decline or prosperity are there in my mental spiritual and financial Health. When the winds of decline hit, we are reminded we should be meditating on the Law of Cause, Karma and Effect; we shouldn't just be upset or grieve without chanting the infinite title of the Lotus Sutra seeking to address the energies of the winds that surround us.

The Eight shifting winds give us an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth; we should embrace them whether they are cold winds or warm winds! When I think of pleasure am I in the World of Hunger, or the World of Heaven?

When we talk about disgrace, this generally means how others have decided to view us, it does not mean it is true, but it does offer an opportunity for reflection on our attitude and habits. Censure often comes in the form of anger, so we can meditate for the person, releasing their anger, while testing the courage of our faith to not be overly affected by another person's lower world condition.

Suffering comes with so many different challenges, and one of the greatest is to reflect on the fact that most suffering is brought by the causes we have made. Do we have biased views, what is our motivation, how is our thinking, what is the reality? Where has this health issue come from? How can I best celebrate the loss of a dear one?

The Eight Winds offer each of us an opportunity to become secure in our BE-ing when we use the winds to as guides to wisdom. It is not easy to endure humiliation, but it offers an opportunity to practice humility. Again and again we are asked to reflect that we should control of our mind, our mind should not control us. Universal mind sits in the common mind, the brain, the carrier of the eight energies.

We must never retreat from life's challenges, whatever the winds; we should resolve to respect and love ourselves deeply, so that we don't become confused by the winds
of life.

Thus It Has Been Shared, respectfully, Henry

[ For Archive of Sharing Sessions, go to FaceBook, Home, Groups, Buddha Nature Now, Discussions, always look forward to your comments, thoughts, questions]

 Namu MyoHo Renge Kyo,   Namu MyoHo Renge Kyo,   Namu MyoHo Renge Kyo