Basic Goodness & Humanity’s Future
By Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
ONE CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS TROUBLED TIME is that we doubt our innate goodness. We look outside ourselves for fulfillment, and this creates individualism, in which we believe only in our own interests. We solidify our mind and consciousness—which are naturally fluid and harmonious—into material entities. We become hard individuals who communicate through anger and arrogance. We believe that what will satisfy us is material, and with this view we create a hard, angry, and materialistic world. There is not-so-subtle feeling that humanity is bad. At present, the world seems to be running on self-centeredness, speed, and aggression. If this pattern continues, the possibility of peace, both personal and social, will diminish. Materialism will never make us happy because it is of a different nature than consciousness. Even though material things are important, they are not fundamental to human beings’ happiness. The antidote for this materialistic outlook is confidence in our basic goodness.
Throughout history, the deepest minds have come to the conclusion that there is something profoundly worthy about being human. In the Shambhala tradition, we call this the sun of basic goodness. The sun is a symbol of life, warmth and wholeness, like the wisdom that is naturally within the mind. When we practice the view of basic goodness, we enter the heart of being human by connecting to our inherent dignity. This basic goodness is intangible. On one hand, you could say it is the highest transmission in Buddhist tantra, which would be not untrue. On the other hand, you can see it in the smile or cry of a baby. Basic goodness is the unconditional foundation of every experience. It is always available in the present moment, healthy, whole, and without fault.
While living in stressful times does not ultimately affect our enlightened qualities, it does demand that we become more engaged in awakening them. On the ultimate level, enlightenment is already here, but on the relative level we need to engineer its causes and conditions.
Bravery is the key instruction in the Shambhala teachings. This is why these teachings use the image of a warrior: when confronted by great challenges, warriors rise to the occasion. When cowards are confronted by difficulties, they withdraw. The challenge of being brave points to one specific instruction—that we stop cowering from our basic goodness.
To be brave is to actualize our true nature as an offering to others. In paying attention to the details of our daily lives in relation to each other and the environment, we proclaim our worthiness to be alive and to inhabit this planet. We empower our relationships with presence and appreciation, because when we see the goodness in ourselves, we recognize it in others. This kind of warriorship builds and creates; it does not destroy. Being brave enough to fully embrace our humanity is how we will accomplish good things.
The process of engaging life with bravery has many levels, but 50% of it is being there, showing up. Whether it is showing up on the meditation cushion, showing up at work, or showing up in a friendship, relationship, or family, how we show up is important. The most important thing is care—having respect for what we are doing. Without respect for our own mind, we are not fully engaged, and even the act of meditating becomes hollow. When we pay attention to what we are doing, we naturally care.
Because of all the distractions and trauma in the world these days, it is getting harder and harder to show up for the present moment and engage in our lives. Our culture tends to lull us into a sense of false security: we think that somehow life is going to get easier. It is like the idea of retirement—we work hard and then there is a lull when we can flop and let everything hang out. Even as we practice warriorship, it is easier to have little places where we seek escape and comfort. Personally, the more my path unfolds, the more I see the need for the kind of discipline and structure that keeps us on the spot, paying attention to how we dress, how we speak, what we do, and how we engage with others. Being on the spot pushes us into a profound form of practice. Even smiling at a stranger can bring us into the present moment, which contains our own simplicity.
The basic goodness of ourselves and others is a very big question—emotionally, ethically, and philosophically. Could it really be that humanity is basically good, kind, wise, and strong? In a materialistic society, we know the outer elements of what it means to be successful, but we are becoming less familiar with the inner elements that lead to deep happiness and positive social connectivity. Through meditation, we practice reawakening those qualities by feeling our own worthiness.
Meditation practice is an opportunity for us to contact the inherent openness of our being, known in Buddhism as Buddhanature. This universal nature is characterized by kindness and compassion. A successful meditation practice is one in which we intimately connect with this naturally occurring love in our hearts, and then embody it in our life.
When we practice meditation, we strip away the words and discover how it feels to be human. We come to an inexpressible experience of our own being that can happen only when we let ourselves relax—when we are not afraid of ourselves, others, or our environment. Especially in a time when there is so much self-loathing, aggression, and mistrust—not just of the world but of our inherent strength and sanity—there has to be a point where we allow ourselves to rest and feel who we are.
This is very important, because when we feel who we are, we have confidence in our goodness no matter what experiences we have. This is connected to nonattachment. Relatively we are having a lot of experiences, but ultimately we see that there really is no good day or bad day if you are thoroughly there to experience it. There is just basic goodness, beyond relative good and bad.
This is when basic goodness really begins to manifest, as we recognize the potent quality of the human mind and spirit. If we understand and appreciate our worthiness, our life becomes a truly spiritual path. When we manifest human dignity, our society has a natural predisposition to manifest it also.
If enough of us take this view, the fabric of our society will be completely infused with the sun of goodness, which allows the dignity of wisdom, kindness, and strength to arise naturally. By strengthening our own humanity, we engender confidence in the worthiness of humanity itself.
Human existence does not have to be mired in aggression, selfishness, and deceit. As humans, we are worthy to exist on planet Earth. We communicate this by creating a good society, one that expresses genuineness and bravery.
Basic goodness has no borders. It has genuine potential to benefit the multicultural nature of our modern geopolitical landscape. It is dynamic, alive, and energetic—the nature of life altogether. Basic goodness is not simply a concept to be explored but an immediate and tangible experience that we encounter every time we breathe, smell, touch, or look. It is not a premeditated decision but the essence of our humanity.
When we lose contact with what makes us human, society devolves into an individualistic struggle in which people are disconnected from themselves and others. This leads to a lack of care toward nature and the environment.
In contrast, basic goodness is an expression of the natural harmony that exists when humanity connects with its own internal environment. This in turn connects us with the external environment. So in discovering basic goodness we have a great opportunity to influence how the world moves toward the future. We can use our understanding to create an enlightened society.
The question of human nature is the most important global issue that we face today. Do we believe and trust in the basic goodness of humanity, as well as of society?
Humanity has come to a crossroads—we can either destroy the world or we can create a good future. At this time, there is tremendous doubt regarding the inherent goodness and worthiness of our species. If we draw the conclusion that humanity is not inherently good—that we do not possess inherent wisdom—what hope can the future possibly hold? In that case, it seems inevitable the forces of fear and doubt will escalate, creating an internal environment that is detrimental to the human mind and heart, as well as to the planet.
In these challenging times, it is tempting to retreat into our own personal existence, hoping the world’s woes will not affect us too harshly. However, none of us can escape the social, political, spiritual, and environmental challenges of this time. Whether intentionally or not, we are all forced to contemplate the nature of our existence, and more importantly, the nature of humanity. The conclusion we draw ill affect our global future.
WHEN YOU ARE MEDITATING, you’re doing something very powerful—experiencing your basic goodness and developing a deep sense of confidence in it. Basic goodness is not a belief but something you can know directly and embody by practicing repeatedly until you make the experience of it your own.
Meditation begins with taking your posture: open in the front, straight and upright in the back, legs crossed, hands on the thighs. The balanced container we create allows us to rest in our own vulnerability and strength. A moment of calm and openness at the beginning allows for space in which experience can occur.
As we practice, we maintain our mindfulness on the body, the breath, and the mind, with all its thoughts and emotions. In the meditative tradition, we regard every thought, feeling, and perception as an opportunity to tune into the present moment.
The reason we meditate is that most of the time we are too caught up in thoughts to feel who we really are. But to feel, we need to relax. By taking an upright sitting posture, we enable the body to relax and the mind to be awake. This is the first step in building a strong meditation practice.
Then we use the breath to train in mindfulness of feeling. Releasing thoughts and coming back to the feeling of the breath automatically bestows some insight: “It is so hard, but this is how I feel.” What follows such awareness is a feeling of openness, gentleness and curiosity. If we respond to thoughts with “I am bad” or “I must get rid of them,” meditation becomes a battle of sorts. But when we are simply being and feeling, we find that we are naturally less discursive, less critical, and more appreciative.
That’s because practice is different from conceptualizing. In meditation we train in letting thoughts go. The equanimity we develop in this way increases our ability to go forward when encountering the obstacles and vicissitudes of life. Without such freshness and fluidity, we are prone either to depression that cripples our ability to act or to elation that burns us out. Equanimity toward what is happening to us internally and externally engenders a quality of steadiness and frees us to continually move forward out of our comfort zone.
The process of allowing your consciousness to awaken through the practice of meditation is symbolized by the sun, which represents the absence of ignorance. This wisdom is the source of all happiness, because it has the potency to overcome suffering. Even reflecting on it momentarily brings dignity, because its brilliance overcomes doubts and hesitations about our own worthiness. We can release ourselves from the trap of materialism and bask in the confidence of basic goodness.
Source: Shambhala Sun Magazine, May 2015 Issue
Pages 46 – 48
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