DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22463#0560
Simal»B»n >ixmt» November 1), 1966
WHAT IS THE POINT OF IT ALL ?
REV. JACK AUSTIN
Priest of the Zen Sect, Sthavira, Arya Maitreya ifandala.
Taken by itself, this astonishing improvements seen", the Book of the
everyday life of ours may in all our social ameni- Great Liberation assures
sometimes make little ties, quite without prece- us. It is only when we
enough sense, and its dent in history, it is now see the world in the light
trivial round and common possible for more people of the reality which is
task offer little deep pur- than ever before to be both immanent in it and
pose. I am reminded of comfortable. But we are which also transcends it
a friend who remarked, still dissatisfied, and this that we find its meaning,
after living through some dissatisfaction manifests Yet we must never forget
of the most dangerous itself in personal jealousies, that it is through this
days of the reoent world oivio pettiness, political world, imperfect though
war 'When you had to persecutions, religious in seems tons when seen
crawl into a dugout to strife,international friction. from an un-enlightened
survive the night, you got and, in the last resort, in standpoint, and only from
up in the morning happy bloody and destructive this human state, that we
just to be still alive: now war. What we see, as can approach the perfect
that the last bomb has we open our morning enlightenment of the Bud-
fallen, I am beginning * papers, is the reflection dha. We must never ima.
to wonder what there is of the unquiet in our own gine that we have to
to be alive for !" It is minds. We cannot evade evade the world and its
the function of a religion responsibility by blaming responsibilities. On the
to suggest, a meaning and others. It is useless to contrary, any attempt to
a purpose in life, and to say, ' Oh ! It is all due do so is to fail again into
provide an incentive for to these politicians. It is the cardinal error cf dua-
a better way of living. the Kussians the back lism and.wander still in
Lacking a religion, as of it all !" No, at the realm of illusion,
perhaps most ptople do back oflt nil we find the 0uf Lor(J BudlIha
today, it is not surprising greed, hatred and delusion SQ07ed ug ^ tQ
that we are losing our of our own minds, where ience the ,tatJ of
sense of real values. For everything start. and ^ whjch we tefm
it is only in the va ues where it has to be dealt vr:.„/' cjl: h. ;„
... J , . ... .. i; . * , Nirvana, rJodbi, the in-
ha we choose to give Wl h, if . II to be dealt arable illumination,
to Jungs that they have with at all. the FUnoonditjon,d ttnd
* ' However well provi- so on. The thing to re-
There is an old qu p ded for we m«y be mate- mi-mber is that we are
ourrent in the West that, rially, this world will al- of the -same nature as
if money cannot make ways seem impeffect and Ho, so that we can be-
you happy, it does ena- incomplete, for it is thus come Buddha ourselves,
ble you to be miserable that we know it. ' As a This is the distant peak
in comfort. In the recent things is viewed, so is it towards which we must
WHAT IS THE POINT OF IT ALL ?
REV. JACK AUSTIN
Priest of the Zen Sect, Sthavira, Arya Maitreya ifandala.
Taken by itself, this astonishing improvements seen", the Book of the
everyday life of ours may in all our social ameni- Great Liberation assures
sometimes make little ties, quite without prece- us. It is only when we
enough sense, and its dent in history, it is now see the world in the light
trivial round and common possible for more people of the reality which is
task offer little deep pur- than ever before to be both immanent in it and
pose. I am reminded of comfortable. But we are which also transcends it
a friend who remarked, still dissatisfied, and this that we find its meaning,
after living through some dissatisfaction manifests Yet we must never forget
of the most dangerous itself in personal jealousies, that it is through this
days of the reoent world oivio pettiness, political world, imperfect though
war 'When you had to persecutions, religious in seems tons when seen
crawl into a dugout to strife,international friction. from an un-enlightened
survive the night, you got and, in the last resort, in standpoint, and only from
up in the morning happy bloody and destructive this human state, that we
just to be still alive: now war. What we see, as can approach the perfect
that the last bomb has we open our morning enlightenment of the Bud-
fallen, I am beginning * papers, is the reflection dha. We must never ima.
to wonder what there is of the unquiet in our own gine that we have to
to be alive for !" It is minds. We cannot evade evade the world and its
the function of a religion responsibility by blaming responsibilities. On the
to suggest, a meaning and others. It is useless to contrary, any attempt to
a purpose in life, and to say, ' Oh ! It is all due do so is to fail again into
provide an incentive for to these politicians. It is the cardinal error cf dua-
a better way of living. the Kussians the back lism and.wander still in
Lacking a religion, as of it all !" No, at the realm of illusion,
perhaps most ptople do back oflt nil we find the 0uf Lor(J BudlIha
today, it is not surprising greed, hatred and delusion SQ07ed ug ^ tQ
that we are losing our of our own minds, where ience the ,tatJ of
sense of real values. For everything start. and ^ whjch we tefm
it is only in the va ues where it has to be dealt vr:.„/' cjl: h. ;„
... J , . ... .. i; . * , Nirvana, rJodbi, the in-
ha we choose to give Wl h, if . II to be dealt arable illumination,
to Jungs that they have with at all. the FUnoonditjon,d ttnd
* ' However well provi- so on. The thing to re-
There is an old qu p ded for we m«y be mate- mi-mber is that we are
ourrent in the West that, rially, this world will al- of the -same nature as
if money cannot make ways seem impeffect and Ho, so that we can be-
you happy, it does ena- incomplete, for it is thus come Buddha ourselves,
ble you to be miserable that we know it. ' As a This is the distant peak
in comfort. In the recent things is viewed, so is it towards which we must