The Right View

Right View is traditionally held to be the first principle of the eightfold path. What is Right View? Its all about the way we see the world.

By attaching expectations to outcomes/things/people we court disappointment and unhappiness. There is an easy test you can do to see if you have been attaching expectations to situations and people in your life. If you take a moment to reflect on the last time you were angry or annoyed I'll wager it had to do with something - or someone - not turning out the way it "should" or "is supposed to". This is an indication that you've attached an expectation - that the View-According-to-Me was not fulfilled by everyone else. This is also known as Wrong View.

So what's Right View then? Right View is about seeing things as they really are, rather than how we would like them to be. This may not be as easy as it first appears. Often we overlay our lives, relationships, and our behaviour with narratives that support our View-According-to-Me. It takes careful self reflection to detect these narratives and remove them. Sometimes Right View shows us things that we really dont want to see. By surrendering to the truth of the situation we release ourselves from disappointment, anger and frustration. Things are as they are.

My task this month is to surrender to the truth of things, to the Right View. My focus will be on the process instead of the outcome. Can I disengage attachment to an outcome of a situation? Can I pay attention only to the journey and let the final destination take care of itself? Good question. I've got some pretty big challenges this month. I cant wait to see how I go!

If you would like to explore the principle of Right View further here are some websites to explore:


http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

http://www.tibetanlama.com/buddhism/The_Eight_Fold_Path.asp

http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma/eightfold.html

There are many books and articles written on the Eightfold Path and Right View. There are some very intense analysis of Right View and what it means spiritually, psychologically and emotionally. I have dealt with Right View with the interpretation that is appropriate for my understanding and where I am in my life right now. You have to start where you are, and I am here.

In the beginning....

After years of stumbling about blindly through life, making all the usual mistakes, I'd managed to find a kind of peaceful equilibrium. In the space of one year I'd gone from lonely single with loser tendancies to happy engaged-person with the kind of dynamic life I'd always dreamt about. It was at this point I thought I could stand a little spiritual growth. My partner, Big G, was unfamiliar with yoga and buddhism. Being the adventurous kind of guy he is, he took the plunge and got to grips with the basics. Here I was, thinking that I'd be the wise-and-knowledgable guide who would shepherd him through and show him the way. What happened instead was a good lesson in ego-awareness.

While I watched Big G discovering the joys of yoga and the buddhist philosophy I became accutely aware of how far I'd drifted from true practice. I'd forgotten what it was all about while thinking I knew it all! It was then I decided to go back to the beginning, to review, refresh, rethink and rediscover what it was that set me on fire in the first place. This year marks the 30th anniversary of my embracing Buddhism as my core tenet of belief. It seemed somewhat fitting to start here, with the principle values for a happy life. The Eight Fold Path describes the core principles to the Buddhist "middle way". By applying these concepts to the way you conduct your life you can manifest the kind of steady peaceful happiness I think we all seek. I decided to spend one month working with dedication on each of the eight principles. The first principle is "Right View"...............,