How to Love the Imperfect World
Sojong Reminder from Anam Thubten
Dear Dharma friends,
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This world has never been fully perfect in anyone’s memory. Even if someone drank the elixir of immortality and lived for many thousands of years, they would not remember a period in which this world was as perfect as the celestial realm where angel-like humans live in peace and love. Such a perfect world lies only in the realm of our imaginations or in fairy tales. We always have a lingering longing to experience a day when the world meets our imagination. But when the world is not as we imagine, cynicism and pessimism can lurk in our minds, and we close our hearts from loving this world.
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In this life, we experience two worlds: that of nature and that of humans. The world of nature is divinely beautiful, enchanting us again and again with its magnificence. It showers us with her bountiful blessings: sunlight, food, water, and more. It is quite easy to love the planet, oceans, mountains, forests, sunrise, full moon, birdsong, and even that gentle wind touching our skin. An unshakable, deep serenity in nature invites us to forget all of our concerns and to be in touch with the sacred quietude beyond the worries of the human world. In today’s world of tumultuous politics, culture wars, and environmental degradation, many have found that nature is a place to which we can turn to find beauty, peace, and healing.
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On the other hand, in the human world, of which each of us is a part, it sometimes feels like there’s so much goodness everywhere that it makes us feel that all is well. At other times, when we witness greed, violence, and competition pervading, our hearts can become frozen. In particular, the endless news cycles are not helping us either. They tend to capture our minds, paint a bleak picture of the world, and force our hearts to close so much that we may not feel able to love humanity.
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The principle of the Four Immeasurables - love, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity - is to learn how to love this imperfect, human world. Underneath the persona of each of us lies our humanness, which is our inherent goodness. If we can recognize that, loving this human world will not be a difficult task. The practice of loving-kindness through the Four Immeasurables allows us to be in touch with our own inherent goodness, which in turn allows us to see the world of humanity through the eyes of love.
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During this Sojong, let me invite to everyone in this fellowship to practice the Four Immeasurables toward the whole world, especially for those who are stuck in war zones, those who are suffering through natural disasters, and those who are struggling trying to make ends meet. Let’s dedicate our practice as a positive force to bring about healing and peace everywhere.
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With palms joined,
Anam Thubten
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