Dhammapada Essay In Hindu
The Dhammapada is a religious text recognizable to just about every practicing Buddhist. Especially in areas committed to Theravada Buddhism, it is believed to be a birthplace of vast inspiration and assistance. Within the book there are 423 verses of the Buddhist teachings, as the Buddha was thought to be the advisor in which to turn to when resolving life’s hardest moral issues. Most Buddhists are consciously making an effort to move toward Nirvana, often known as “crossing the river of life”. The teachings seek to put an end to suffering and lead its readers down the Noble Eightfold Path. Assistance and encouragement are often needed on this journey and the book sets out to provide that. Growing up, my mother always preached to me the importance of mindfulness. This happens to be a big theme in the Dhammapada, as it states that to achieving nirvana and following the path
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all comes back to the mind. Which is why I chose to pursue this topic. The book begins by affirming that the mind itself is the creator of everything, both building who we are and where we are meant to go in life. It came to my attention while studying these teachings, that the commonly perceived idea of “being mindful” is slightly, yet noticeably different, than the Dhammapada’s verses about “mindfulness”. As a child, we are told to be mindful of those around us. More or less, in laymen’s terms, I believe that teaching just means to pay attention. So while most people are aware of the definition of “mindful”, only a few will truly understand what the Buddha was referencing about when he spoke about “mindfulness” The true meaning of mindfulness begins with going inside oneself.
Mindfulness asks that a person be very self-aware, to a point that their own constant self evaluation allows them to pinpoint the aspects about themselves that they’d like to oust from their own behaviors. Which is basically the essence of the entire book itself. The mind itself is a disorderly vault of thoughts that can be hard to control at times, but if one can master the self-discipline that the Dhammapada stresses, i.e. mindfulness, that person can finally escape the thirst and longings that leads to Nirvana. This goes hand in hand with verse 2, where the Buddha is said to have stated, “Mindfulness is the way to the Deathless; unmindfulness is the way to Death. Those who are mindful do not die; those who are not mindful are as if already dead.” Which I take away as saying, once someone is able to mast these power they are finally freed from rebirth. However, those who are never able to master the purification of their own mind will never truly fee; anything and are basically dead even when they are still physically
alive.
Though it’s not until the later part of the Dhammapada, that the Buddha speaks directly about the purification of one’s mind. From the way I see it, the entire work was designed to lead people slowly into the cleansing of their mind by teaching other lessons along the way. Mindfulness itself is either described in few details or an underlying theme throughout all the 423 verses, however it’s not until the piece is nearly over that the reader is to recognize that as each step led seamlessly into the next, purity was the end-all be-all. Mindfulness is not just the simple act of being aware. The mindfulness spoken about in the Dhammapada necessitates not only the simple definition of being externally conscious, but the internal, mental consciousness that allows a connection to something greater. Mindfulness is a way of life for many Buddhists. The Dhammapada is there to aid in showing us how one can use their own beliefs to guide them through their own path to enlightenment.
all comes back to the mind. Which is why I chose to pursue this topic. The book begins by affirming that the mind itself is the creator of everything, both building who we are and where we are meant to go in life. It came to my attention while studying these teachings, that the commonly perceived idea of “being mindful” is slightly, yet noticeably different, than the Dhammapada’s verses about “mindfulness”. As a child, we are told to be mindful of those around us. More or less, in laymen’s terms, I believe that teaching just means to pay attention. So while most people are aware of the definition of “mindful”, only a few will truly understand what the Buddha was referencing about when he spoke about “mindfulness” The true meaning of mindfulness begins with going inside oneself.
Mindfulness asks that a person be very self-aware, to a point that their own constant self evaluation allows them to pinpoint the aspects about themselves that they’d like to oust from their own behaviors. Which is basically the essence of the entire book itself. The mind itself is a disorderly vault of thoughts that can be hard to control at times, but if one can master the self-discipline that the Dhammapada stresses, i.e. mindfulness, that person can finally escape the thirst and longings that leads to Nirvana. This goes hand in hand with verse 2, where the Buddha is said to have stated, “Mindfulness is the way to the Deathless; unmindfulness is the way to Death. Those who are mindful do not die; those who are not mindful are as if already dead.” Which I take away as saying, once someone is able to mast these power they are finally freed from rebirth. However, those who are never able to master the purification of their own mind will never truly fee; anything and are basically dead even when they are still physically
alive.
Though it’s not until the later part of the Dhammapada, that the Buddha speaks directly about the purification of one’s mind. From the way I see it, the entire work was designed to lead people slowly into the cleansing of their mind by teaching other lessons along the way. Mindfulness itself is either described in few details or an underlying theme throughout all the 423 verses, however it’s not until the piece is nearly over that the reader is to recognize that as each step led seamlessly into the next, purity was the end-all be-all. Mindfulness is not just the simple act of being aware. The mindfulness spoken about in the Dhammapada necessitates not only the simple definition of being externally conscious, but the internal, mental consciousness that allows a connection to something greater. Mindfulness is a way of life for many Buddhists. The Dhammapada is there to aid in showing us how one can use their own beliefs to guide them through their own path to enlightenment.