I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said “It’s All About Me”. I murmured “Amituofo.”
It’s what I say when I see an animal that was run over, when someone thanks me for some valued advice, when I greet another cultivator, and in so many circumstances.
Sometime I murmur it in regret. Like when I saw that bumper sticker.
What a sad way to view life. It’s a viewpoint that can only lead to suffering. Tragically, it’s a viewpoint that is fostered more and more by an advertising industry that will prosper only if we continue to buy into their world of illusion. I’ve read that the average American watches four hours of television a day. That average viewer sees as many ads in a year that a few decades ago, it took a lifetime to see. These people are listening to the wrongs “teachers.”
I’m working on a talk by my teacher, Ven. Master Chin Kung, on the Amitabha Sutra. In one section, he was had spoken about one of the five corruptions mentioned in the sutra: the corruption of views. He said that the corruption of views means that everyone has erroneous views and vastly different opinions. When one’s thoughts and views about others and the environment are wrong, one error will lead to other errors. Inevitably, trouble follows.
We live in troubled times. Why are our times troubled? Because people do not believe in the sages’ teachings. People do not value the writings of the sages. Because people do not believe in the sages’ teachings, even though these writings are available, people have no inclination to read them, thinking that these teachings no longer are relevant. People do not try to study and understand them. They make this mistake because they are not open-minded. They are focused on what the advertising industry and multinational companies want them to believe.
As long as people continue to think that they’re the center of the universe and that what they want supersedes the wishes of others, they will continue to search for their illusive idea of happiness. Thinking that “It’s All About Me” will lead, inevitably, to painful troubles.
And again, I say "Amituofo."