This Is Samsara
Sojong Reminder from Anam Thubten 1/2021
Dear Dharma friends,
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Let me take this opportunity to wish that all of you are doing well, wherever you are in the world. The year 2020 just ended with unforgettable events that will remain in humanity’s history. Many people all over the world experienced difficulties, including the loss of loved ones and financial loss. Last year was a testimony to the importance of dharma in our lives. Some of my friends told me that they realized that their dharma practice became a refuge and has given them ground on which they rely. One of the silver linings of difficult times is that life forces us to go to the highest refuge, beyond all of our worldly conditions, such as good health and financial stability.
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Often, this human world is referred to as “samsara” in the Buddhist teachings. Samsara is the vicious circle of challenges. When things become very uncomfortable to us, we can be disappointed by thinking that “this should not be happening” or “that should not be happening” -- either in our personal life or in the world at large. But it is important for us to remember that we are living in samsara and not in some kind of perfect heaven, and that we have to let go of our irrational ideas and expectations about life in general.
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Recently, there has been a lot of unpleasant news coming from the United States, and in particular, about political turmoil and violence. These things can sometimes dishearten us, and we can lose faith in humanity and become disillusioned. Whenever I have had conversations with my Buddhist friends about these things, they have said “Remember, this is samsara.” Hearing this has always made my heart become lightened. I have realized that we can’t expect anything from samsara except what is already happening – good news and bad news. Keeping that perspective will help us maintain balance and be more centered when the world is not revolving around our hopes and desires. This perspective can be applied in relationship to political turmoil in any given culture and also in our own life.
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As a human being, we are not an island. Our life is very much intertwined with the state of affairs of the world and with people -- especially those with whom we have a strong karmic relationship, like family members and relatives. Even within the last few months, some of my dharma friends spoke to me about going through challenges. It’s not so much that they are going through hardship in their own life, nor that their mind is confused, but rather, some of their relatives are struggling with health or other issues. Therefore, bring that perspective of remembering that “this is samsara” into everyday life. That will help us surrender to “what is” each day, and to keep us from being easily shaken by external circumstances, thus enabling us to stay open-hearted and able to offer love and compassion to the world.
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This perspective is one of the main foundations of Buddhist philosophy, and it has been ingrained in the minds of people of the East. I know some older Tibetans who never learned all of the fancy Buddhist doctrines and don’t know how to meditate, and yet, they are able to be as dignified as a mountain when life becomes bitter, because they use this perspective. It is part of the fabric of their being. They say in their mind, “this is samsara,” which enables them to stay grounded in equanimity, without slipping into a downward spiral of unhappiness and confusion.
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During this sojong, let’s take the time together as a sangha to review how we have been responding to all the things in our life at this moment, and hold a vow to bring more awareness, compassion and equanimity into this new year. We might like to invite the presence of Buddhas and bodhisattvas in our mind as witnesses, when we take that vow.
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With palms joined,
Anam Thubten
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