132-Doing the right thing - Buddhism in daily life

Doing the right thing


Buddhists in particular often want to do the right thing, are
righteous people, do not want to harm any living being.


But what is 'the right thing', isn't this classification
subjective for every human being, dependent on personal filters?


Even in the time of Jesus Christ, this seemed to be a problem, as
it is written in the Bible (Luke 18:9-14) that some trusted in
being righteous and would despise those they thought were not
righteous. For those, the founder of the religion also had the
advice that he who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will then be exalted.


Over the centuries, the opinion about the righteousness even
frequently changed sides, depending on power and the powerful,
the simple man became only the plaything of the authorities. Many
people like to think that they create the right, are righteous.


But according to Buddha we should not want, not wish and not
judge, what seems "good" today can turn out to be a complete
failure tomorrow, what seemed "bad" sometimes becomes a stroke of
luck.


And what few people even think about is the fact that
righteousness can also go completely "in the pants". Because
there is a big difference between righteousness and
self-righteousness, which is not known to everyone.


Doing the right thing is already clearly mentioned in the
Buddha's noble eightfold path, namely right seeing, right
understanding (realization), right speaking and right acting,
i.e. all righteous steps.


The teaching of the teacher of all teachers reached a critical
point when the exalted one was considering whether to strive for
his own perfection or for the propagation of his worldview. So to
make clear the demarcation between righteousness and
self-righteousness. His decision was delayed, he could not decide
for a while. But then he preferred the transmission of the
teaching to his own studies, Buddhism had experienced an
important turning point.


But what is the right thing? This question is still unresolved.
Well, the readers of my blog will have a good basic idea "of the
right thing to do", because what is meant here is not a
valuation, but an action that is without attachments, without
desires, without opinions, without judgments and without
prejudices. So, we should live a righteous life, not valuing
things and living beings, therefore then live "happily".


Anyway, the person is a righteous person who speaks the truth,
because at the beginning there are the cognitive abilities, who
does not speak the truth, he does not find the wayless path,
because the noble eightfold path of Buddha cannot be without
truth.


As a trained German lawyer, I know roughly how law should be, but
we are still too far away from that in this society. However, if
righteousness turns into self-righteousness, then the problems
are pre-programmed.


Because then the heart falls into turmoil, the conceit, arrogance
and ignorance produce hatred, greed and delusion, from which
anger, rage and disappointment arise. Here it is then not far to
delusion, which not infrequently ends in an asylum, according to
Buddha it is the thoughts that make us ill. Are you righteous?


The way is as always the goal!


World is like a royal carriage, just come and see! - Colorful and
more colorful. World drips off the mind of the sage; only the
fool submerges in it


- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before
the year zero


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