Mastery: an interesting orientation. In the quotation below, Shakyamuni Buddha suggests that much comes from doing so. For example, “By your own efforts waken yourself, watch yourself, and live joyfully.”
Upon reflection, one discovers that mastery of one’s self is more than a skill, exemplified by a master carpenter, for example, which is no small mastery and set of skills. Yet, the Buddha is encouraging something more. “By your own efforts waken yourself, watch yourself, and live joyfully.” Certainly, the master carpenter has applied great effort and diligence to acquire the knowing, artistry, and know-how that brings forward both function and beauty. This master knows that aesthetics alone is non-fuctional; functional alone is boring. We are to look at the same within and for ourself. Why? So as to “live joyfully.”
Functional? Yeh, personality is functional. But, lo, are its stories and self-focus boring. Personal beauty? Hmm. What culture’s criteria is one using for measurement? Is only outer appearance the consideration? Well, that changes daily and throughout a day. Is inner beauty the focus? What is being included in that exploration and blossoming?
With the idea of “waken yourself” comes an allusion to light, illumination, and inner radiance of being expressing. To awaken is to go from the dullness of sleep to vibrant lucidity. To awaken is to be the resonance of wakefulness, of vibrancy, of light itself. And, how marvelous! Light gives rise to life in abundance, life in its fullness. Ah, “live joyfully.”
The Buddha asks us to “master” our senses, which is so much more than meets the eye, so to speak. We harken to that in the beginning of this podcast.
His encouragement completes with a variation on a primary theme in his teachings, that “you are your own master. Who else could be?” He offers: “Follow the truth of the way, reflect upon it. Make it your own. Live it. It will always sustain you.”
