Being Spiritual

By Victor M Fontane

A true practitioner has no greed, no anger, and is free from subjective thoughts like “I want,” “I think,” or “I know.” They are a silent listener, understanding impermanence. Practice is not about seeking merits or rewards in the future or after death. It is not about quoting scriptures for every problem, nor about constantly invoking the blessings of the Bodhisattva. True blessings do not require words or praise, for Bodhisattvas are not attached to merit or reward. Practice does not necessarily mean leaving the secular world. The idea of “I am keeping precepts in hopes of gaining something” is just delusion, because with such a mindset, nothing real can be gained and the heart remains impure. The absence of such greed is true blessing, for both oneself and one’s family.

Especially for those who follow the Christian teaching of “love your neighbor as yourself,” it is not just about loving the Lord or subjectively demanding others to love your Lord. The Lord wants you to objectively love others, to show compassion and forgiveness, not to judge others. Both religions, at their core, are about transcending the self—not about the Lord, the Buddha, or the Bodhisattva as external objects. To argue because of faith is to betray the very essence of faith itself.