Buddhism 4 :: essays research papers

Buddhism was founded by Saddharrha Gautama. He discovered soon after that the mind was the most important aspect of human existence. In Gautama’s believe he believed: “Our mind is like mercury. It is also like a monkey who is struggling all the time to free himself. When he is pulled back, he may stay still for a little while, but a moment later, he will try to move away again.'; In his belief’s he believed that man needed to pull back and control our minds frequently, otherwise it will not remain still and it will wander away according to its emotions. The mind will follow whatever arises in it when there is nothing to discipline and tie it down. We must have mental training to stop its wandering.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So meditation is the tool to tie up ones mind. It will cultivate mindfulness which is the foundation of the practice. Concentration stills the mind and reduces impulses and emotions. Its the same as tying the rope around a post and then tying the money to it. It does not matter how much the monkey struggles, he will have to stay within the limits of his bounds. As he is tied with the rope, he can only go back to the same spot again. The only chance for him to stop is when he is exhausted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we fallow the movement of our mind, it is like watching the monkey. We do not have to become the animal, we just sit and watch him. Stay still, do not struggle like him. If we struggle like him, we will turn into a monkey and will become really exhausted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To practice Concentration is like looking at the monkey. In the process of watching, he will go round and round until the rope is so tight that he is bound up. In the end he will have to stop and sit still. The monkey also knows that it is time to stop when the rope is so tight that it strangles him. The movement of our mind is very similar, so if we keep on meditating in order to observe it (the mind), then it is like watching the monkeywithout behaving like the monkey. If we act like the monkey by creating thoughts, we will be exhausted by our meditation because the mind never stops. We have to be in control at the post where mindfulness and concentration are.