INTJ-A | 🌎Engineer | Theravāda | Web3 Poet 🎹
Her Heart☻
Joined February 2021
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ZoroIX.eth🎃 retweeted
No one is perfect, but if you don't think highly of yourself, you'll ruin your life.
Why Theravada Buddhism?
A core tenet of Buddhism is that the Buddha did not discriminate against anyone, teaching that all beings are equal and have the potential to achieve enlightenment; regardless of their social status, caste, gender, or 🏳️🌈 any other characteristic.
This is a key reason why Buddhism often appealed to marginalized groups in ancient India who faced discrimination under the caste system.
He instead distinguished people by their effort, moral conduct, understanding of the Dharma, and intentions. These distinctions were based on personal actions and readiness for spiritual growth, not to exclude but to guide individuals toward enlightenment.
Key points about Buddha's teachings on equality:
•No inherent self
Buddhism teaches the concept of "anatta" (no-self), meaning there is no permanent, unchanging self, which undermines the idea of inherent differences between people that could be used to justify discrimination.
•Universal suffering
Everyone experiences suffering, and the path to liberation is open to all beings.
•Compassion for all
Buddhists are encouraged to cultivate compassion and kindness towards all living beings, regardless of their circumstances.
- source
Google AI. Khan Academy. Wikipedia
Reflecting on this often coz there is too much toxicity in this world rn.
💎The 8 worldly winds that every living being is exposed to:
• Gain and Loss - of things & people.
• Pleasure and Pain - of any kind.
• Praise and Blame - in any setting.
• Fame and Disrepute - of any level.
🔹Clinging and Aversion
We instinctively cling to the desirable winds and rebel against the undesirable ones. But these conditions are constantly changing and outside our direct control. The chasing and resisting keeps us trapped in a cycle of stress, frustration, and dissatisfaction.
🔹Cultivating Equanimity: The goal of understanding the worldly winds is to stop being destabilized by them. We can enjoy the positive winds without being inflated by them; we can navigate the negative winds without resisting what is happening in the present moment.
By cultivating a stable and mindful presence, we can comprehend the nature of impermanence, the nature of reality.
🔹 The Sallatha Sutta (SN 36.6): The parable of the two arrows speaks to this directly.
The first arrow is the unavoidable pain of life: sickness, loss, aging, disappointment, discomfort, and the changing conditions brought by the eight worldly winds.
The second arrow is the suffering we add through resistance, overthinking, anger, fear, craving, or the thought, “Why is this happening to me? What if it gets worse? I do not deserve it, do I? ”
In the Sallatha Sutta, the Buddha explains that an untrained mind is struck by both arrows: physical or emotional pain, then mental suffering on top of it. But the trained disciple still feels the first arrow without adding the second.
This is where mindfulness and equanimity become liberation in practice. We may not control which worldly winds arrive, but we can train the mind not to cling, collapse, or retaliate. The first arrow may come. The second can be released.
Namo Buddhaya 🪷
