IRRIGATING THE MIND-STREAM: BUDDHISM AND WATER

摘要

Buddhism is a tradition that began in India approximately 2500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama attained his enlightenment (bodhi) under a Bodhi tree ificus religiosa) in Bodhgaya (in modern Bihar, India) and subsequently began teaching what he had realized. The root of his teaching is that there is nothing that abides independently and without change - everything is ultimately interdependent and impermanent including our selves. Because humans have such a strong sense of self and self-preservation, we are blinded to this deeper reality of interdependence and impermanence. Our ignorance of this reality is the cause of our suffering: we are shocked and dismayed by change, decay, and death. This ignorance also leads us to disregard how our actions affect others and our environment.