“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” ~Dalai Lama
Originating in the 6th Century BCE, Buddhism is one of the oldest religious philosophies still practiced today. One of the most fundamental aspects and lesser known of Buddhist teachings is that it encourages its followers not to believe in the teachings, but rather to interpret, explore and test truths against their own life experience. The emphasis here lives within the sphere of exploration.
All life paths are unique to the individual. Some suffer undue hardships throughout their entire lives, while others seem to rise to the top, receiving and achieving everything they desire. Some try and fail over and over again and never succeed at personal goals. Many are born into the world with physical ailments which are completely out of their control, though this doesn’t mean that they live poor lives.
This is life, the principal remains the same; life is not perfect. I believe it is perfectly imperfect. Many people continue to suffer and struggle and are left unsatisfied in a vain attempt to make life perfect. We must rise above this; remain still within the heart and mind, realizing that simply living life can bring about more happiness than ever thought.
Compassion, kindness and ethical conduct are core principals of my life. Though this hasn’t always been my outlook, I’ve come to this place through experiencing and exploring life uniquely, as only I could do within my own sphere of existence and interpretation. Perfection, to me, is an impossibility. There is nothing to measure perfection against because nothing is perfect, therefore how could anyone attain perfection?
As we travel through the sphere of exploration, we must attune the heart and mind to simple and unseen beauty. We must lift the rock, but not look under it. Instead, we must look at the bottom of the rock, inside its grooves and pores. We must part the leaves of the tree, and search within the stem.
Compassion is the explorer’s compass. Search not for perfection, instead seek truth within all creation. It will always be changing, moving and living, but always be there for you to find. It is only you who can find it, and only then will it be a perfect discovery.
“The true value of existence is revealed through compassion.” ~Dalai Lama
HeartSphere 
Here here! Beautiful. True. Simple.
beautiful thoughts!
Thank you Sir!
🙂
I’ve been to church! lol That was an awesome post! I never knew how closely my own beliefs mirror Buddhism.
Thank you. 🙂
You make the Dalai Lama proud! Beautifully expressed, as always.
You have a beautiful heart and mind.
I am a student of the World’s religions, philosophy, art, music, ect. ect. ect. and I’m not done with my sphere processing if you KNOW what I mean…so keep it up.
Thank you! I am student of life as well and always will be. Will definitely keep it rolling. 😉
Obviously.
I studied mindfulness and meditation for sometime, i must admit that these things come and go, when i am in greater need i use them more and when life is moving along smoothly i forget. The one thing that i came to realize that the teachings of buddism are very often similar to those of Jesus Christ; compassion. It is only when we learn to treat ourselves compassion that we then see beyond ourselves to show compassion to others.
Thank you. This is exactly what I needed today.
I enjoy your sphere of existance.
Thank you 😉
Wow. Great post. Thought it was interesting about interpreting, exploring and testing truths too. A very compassionate approach to religion itself! Thanks….
Lovely! Thank you.
Great post, I’ve been exploring the paradox of such a endeavour(being inherently perfect, but looking for perfection outside yourself) for a few weeks now, it’s has opened up so many worlds of thought for me.
Great blog!
I have always found Buddhism fascinating. A very lovely post and the ideas you present here are incredibly valuable. If only more people were exposed to that…
Great quote. In the beginning you start with discussing that Buddhism encourages it’s followers to explore and interpret for themselves. Can you imagine if more religions did that? That would be so wonderful. I know my understanding of Christianity completely changed once I started reading the Bible for myself and exploring different meanings and how they apply to my life.
Your post has some great stuff as always. Thanks.
Simply put, simply led.
I will have to share your blog with a friend who embodies Buddhism. thank you.
Thank you
Just came back from a Buddhist meditation, that, as usual, changes my life
😉
“life is not perfect. I believe it is perfectly imperfect.” But your words, the meaning you convey is perfect. Beautifully written! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
Well written!
“Search not for perfection, instead seek truth within all creation. It will always be changing, moving and living, but always be there for you to find. It is only you who can find it, and only then will it be a perfect discovery”
This real stuck out to me reminds me of the quote I often have myself falling back on over and over again. “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I?”-Hillel
Much respect and love
luke
This is quite beautifully written and I love the concept behind it. I’m working on following my heart and intuition rather than overanalyzing everything. Sometimes my philosophical tendencies (and being a philosophy major) isn’t helpful when it comes to finding peace, which exists within the quiet and calm of the heart.
Thank you. I majored in Philosophy as well and it can build barriers if you allow it to. But we all have the choice to see and feel with the heart. Best wishes 😉
Absolutely beautiful.
Very well written…. 🙂 Simplicity and Compassion… that’s the way to be… Maybe one day we will get there…. thanks for reminding us that it may still be possible…
Have a Fabulous Day… ☺
I nominated you for two awards!
Thank you for sharing your light, for challaging our thoughts daily and the continuous insight!
http://astoryoflight.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/my-first-two-awards/
Namaste
I do like the typography and spacing on your blog. Clean and calm. A tad larger font size might be nice.
As for your message, well said!
Your words always move me and touch my soul. I share them with others as much as I can. Thank you for writing them….
I love your writing. 🙂 And it seems as if we have the same religious beliefs, as well.
“Compassion is the explorer’s compass.” More and more, I’m finding that statement to ring true.
Ah you are so wise. I love “We must lift the rock, but not look under it. Instead, we must look at the bottom of the rock, inside its grooves and pores.” Take a look at my blog about perfection being overrated with an inclusion from another blog bowendaries and see if you can find some added wisdom.http://couragetoadventurecoaching.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/perfection-is-overrated/
Sue Bock
http://bestlifeafterbreastcancer.com
http://couragetoadventure.com
Thank you for visiting my blog. I feel inspired by yours as well and your writing. I too believe in perfect imperfection. Have a great day!
Thought provoking blog! Thanks for liking and following my blog.
What a great post – thank-you!
I love the first quote, It’s one of my favourite quotes. This is a beautiful post which I think really captures the esscence of Buddhism. Check out ‘Widening the circle of love’ by the dalia lama, it’s a brill book!