Against The Stream ~ EPILOGUE
SUPPOSE a man got
the idea to cover the whole Earth with leather, to
protect his feet from all the sharp stones, thorns
and broken glass that lie around: would he ever be
able to do so? Wouldn’t he be wiser to wear
shoes?
We waste a lot of time complaining of external
circumstances and blaming other people and things
for the situations we find ourselves in. We think:
"Oh, if only my life were different, if only
it could be like that instead of like this, then I
would be happy", and so on. We depend too much
upon others and use them to excuse our own weaknesses.
In the preceding pages, I have tried to point inwards,
to indicate that, in our own minds, we have the necessary
resources to face all the hardships and unpleasant
things that life throws at us. The fact that we have
not become completely mad already— and not just
a little bit, as most of us are— testifies to
this.
We may spend all our lives trying to change
the outside world and make it conform to our ideas
and desires, but will never completely succeed, although
this shouldn’t prevent us from trying. Many
things are in need of change, and can be changed;
others we should try to change, even though we are
not sure if we can change them. If, throughout history,
we had not tried to change things, we would still
be living in caves, and most of us wouldn’t
like that very much. But often, when we focus on trying
to change the outside world, we neglect the inner
life, so that the peace and happiness we seek evades
us, because it is inside, not outside.
We often say of things: "Oh, it’s
difficult! I can’t do that!", even before
we’ve tried. If we don’t try, it will
not only be difficult but impossible! It’s easy
to take things fatalistically and suffer and complain,
and if we are content to do so, then why are we—
I and you— writing and reading this book?
This advice is for Diamond People, not for
those who want others to carry them around and feed
them with spoons, like babies, or to forgive their
sins and save them. If that sounds cruel, I’m
sorry, but those who will make no effort to help themselves
will just have to await the slow process of evolution,
and learn under the harsh tutelage of Suffering. People
who promise assistance and salvation to others without
the need to do anything but believe are frauds, no
matter how nice and kind they may appear to be, and
if they are not deliberate frauds, they are deluded.
The Buddha stated, very clearly, that each person
must make the necessary efforts for himself. His Teachings
may be summed up thus:
By ourselves is evil done,
By ourselves we pain endure;
By ourselves we cease from wrong,
By ourselves become we pure.
No-one saves us but ourselves,
No-one can and no-one may;
We ourselves must walk the Path,
Buddhas only show the Way.
THE END
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