The Harmonious Perspective (sammā-ditthi)
This perspective is to become aware of:
i. The insecurity of life (dukkha)
ii. The cause of this insecurity (samudaya)
iii. The end of this insecurity (nirodha)
iv. The way to end this insecurity (magga).
The insecurity of life was what Siddhatta Gotama, the Bodhisatta, realized more than twentyfive centuries ago, when he saw the old man, the sick man, and the dead corpse. In modern times, the Western philosophy called Existentialism has dramatically drawn attention to this problem. Yet no one so far has been able to solve this problem in the modern world. It was only the Buddha, 25 centuries ago in the East, who found the solution by awakening from the dream of existence. He found the way to immortality and revealed it to the world, but only those with ears to hear, and only those with a little dust in their eyes, could listen and be free from death. He set out to enlighten the world, beating the drum of immortality (amata dundubin), with the words:
“Open is the door to immortality
For those who have ears to hear
Listen to my sound and be free from death.”
The sound is still ringing – )))
Only those who pay attention will hear
Only those with little dust in their eyes will see
Of course some thinkers have found an escape from this stark reality of death in a fantastic dream world, called Heaven, where there is eternal life and eternal happiness after death, even though this fantasy is far beyond verifiable certainty, until death intervenes – to put the fact beyond any doubt.
The Buddha, on the other hand, sought a real solution to the real problem within reality itself, instead of escaping into a fantasy beyond certainty. He examined the existential problem of death here and now to find a solution here and now. His aim was to find the cause of the problem, and to solve the problem by eliminating the cause.
What he discovered was that the cause of the problem, and its solution, was to be found within us and not outside. The cause was our blind emotions that come in conflict with the reality perceived through our intellect. This conflict that caused much suffering could be resolved only by eliminating these blind emotions. Elimination of emotions could be achieved only by finding the conditions essential for the arousal of emotions.
He discovered that these emotions are aroused deterministically, and therefore it was only by eliminating one of the necessary conditions that the emotional arousal could be stopped. Such an elimination of emotions was a transcendence of normal human nature, and the realization of a Supernormal Consciousness. This realization also resulted in a paradigm shift from the notion of “personal existence” to the notion of “impersonal experience,” ending in absolute selflessness.
It is to achieve this transcendence that Buddhist meditation is practiced at Level III by the monastic followers. The lay Buddhist leading a secular life can also benefit from this practice, however, because it helps one learn to gain control over the emotions that stand as an obstacle to peaceful living.
Those who understand that emotion is the culprit that stands responsible for the sufferings of life, begin to eliminate emotion at every nook and cranny. This is what begins the important reorientation of life.