When we want, its not that we want but its that the Want wants

That wanting is only the Want wanting

And the Want wants and wants and wants

And what the Want wants is whatever the want wants

But its not what we want

Or should I say, what the Want wants is not what we want or want to want

What we want is actually to be free of the Want

We try to get what the Want wants to stop the wanting of the Want

But this Want doesn’t stop wanting, it just goes on to want another want

So if we really want to stop the Want, we must not give the Want what it wants

Only see clearly the Want

There is the Want, and we don’t want the Want

And actually thats all we want

Because when there is no Want

There is peace

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=KV4ojyChiLI

(make sure to watch in high quality)

During Ajahn Brahmavamso’s visit to our temple he gave some really great advice to our Sangha. Don’t work so much! He explained that in the mundane world in the world before we became monks or nuns before we really became interested in meditation, we became successful in the world by putting in a lot of effort, trying hard , setting goals and meeting them. Ajah Brahmavamso told us that to become successful in meditation is a different direction.

The Venerable Ajahn Brahm told us that if you really understand enlightenment then you must be able to explain it in simple terms. In fact, you need to be able to explain enlightenment in a way so simple that the girl serving you beer can understand.

So here is a simple understanding of enlightenment in the form of a story. This is a story called the 5 Children Playing the Wishing Game…

Once upon a time, 5 children were playing the wishing game. The child who came up with the best wish would win the wishing game.

First was a young boy, maybe seven or eight, and he said if he could have any wish he would wish for a McDonalds hamburger with double fries (because his mother was Buddhist and wouldn’t allow him to eat hamburgers).

So they asked the second child if she could you think of a better wish. And the second child was a young girl and she said that she would wish for a McDonalds restaurant so she could eat as many hamburgers as she wanted.

Then came to the third boy. He had more time to think as the others and he said that he wants a billion dollars. So he could buy a McDonalds restaurant, then buy a video game store and play all the video games he wants. Then he would buy a school so he could spend all day playing video games then give himself good grades. Then he’d buy a university and pass himself through that too. Then he still has enough money for the rest of his life. So he asked if anyone could think of a better wish than that. The fourth child, a girl, had to think very deeply and she came up with a better wish.

The fourth girl was very clever. She said if she had a wish, she would wish for 3 wishes. With the first wish she would wish for a McDonalds restaurant, with the second wish she would wish for a billion euros, and for the last wish she would wish for 3 more wishes. So she was clearly winning the wishing game.

But there was one boy left, and he would go on to win the wishing game. But how can you find a better wish than an infinity of wishes? Well, this boy was named Buddha, and he said, “If I had one wish, I would wish that I was so content that I would never need another wish again.” And that wish won the wishing game.

That describes nirvana, enlightenment, that you are so content that you don’t want anything else. Most people in the world want an infinity of wishes, to be wealthy, to be powerful, but to be so content that you don’t want any more wishes, this is enlightenment. 

Three (Scheiße) Stories

I was attracted to study Buddhism because of the lightness and fluidity I felt after hearing and practicing its wisdom. This lightness, it seems, some people call “happiness.”

Who knew? I didn’t.

A great master, Ajahn Brahm, recently lead a retreat at Pagoda Phat Hue. This great master has many credentials: a degree in theoretical physics from Cambridge University, a scholarship to study at said university, one year teaching 16- and 17-year-olds, nine years studying with a renowned Theravada master, and his own monastery in Western Australia. But, it seems, his greatest credential is as translator.

He translates enlightenment as “the greatest happiness.”

And Buddhism is about happiness.

Happiness is about knowing what to choose, and too often, during our meal, we skip the happiness and eat the shit. Buddha said, all humans are born ignorant. Thus, we learn about shit – what it is, where to find it, and where to leave it – in order to be clear about happiness.