Hello whoever is reading this =)
I've been reading Zhunagzi: Basic Writings. It has made it apparent that life is essentially meaningless, every action useless, every desire negative and duality an illusion.
To follow The Way in this day and age would be impossible, unless you want to live as a homeless person.
To not follow The Way means that you will always be controlled by desire and action and thus live a life where external things are required in order to sustain happiness.
Basically my mind is a mess.
Follow The Way: Become homeless.
Don't follow The Way: Do meaningless tasks in order to purchase happiness.
To be honest i'd rather die.
There is no way to happiness.....happiness IS the way!
The buddha taught the middle path. What the middle path is, is always the path between two extremes. You submit two extremes; to either follow the path and give up everything, but being homeless, OR to keep everything but be stuck in a world of Maya(illusion). I submit to you that you do not have to stay to either extreme, but to find the middle path. What is the middle path in this situation?
Well, it has to be understood that this world is maya(illusion) and it is illusion because it is all just a game. You see, we are all already buddhas, but the problem is we wear masks, or egos and we do this because it is fun to do. You have the extreme case where one has to give up his ego entirely and drop his mask, after doing that one sits and does nothing. But where is the fun in this? Remember, life IS a game. Sure you may quit the game at anytime, but then you lose out on great enjoyment and opportunity. Life is a game, a dance for fun. And if you can realize this, then no matter what happens, whether good or bad, you can always take a step back, because!.. Its just a game! You can look at life like dancing on the dance floor(quoting alan watts on this one) and the point of dancing isnt to get around on the floor, to get over there by Point A or over here by point B, but the dance is all for ,you see? you dance for the sake of dancing. You live for the sake of living. If something is bothering you, or something is making you over excited, take a step back to center and remember its all just a dance.
I would say the best thing one can do is seek out the lord and offer to him all of their works, all of their pain, suffering, love, and everything in them. In the bhagavad-gita, Krishna(the supreme personality of godhead) says that he will remove all sinful reactions, all bad karmas, and blocks on the road for the pure devotee. So, devote yourself to the lord. Try and understand his nature and be like him, the same way that a child wants to be like his father. The best way to get in touch with this father of ours, is by chanting his transcendental and holy names with sincerity and devotion. One may chant the Maha mantra(great mantra) which goes: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. By chanting these holy names with sincerity and devotion, you will surely find the lord, for the lord is everywhere at all times and even resides with the individual soul inside of our hearts as the super soul. He hears us when we chant his names. He is forever awake and listening, even when we seem to be in illusion. This is why god makes the best center. Center yourself in the lord with sincerity and devotion, devote all of your works to him and stand in the various quarrels of the world with equanimity, knowing all things to be of the same ONE nature. This is the middle path because no matter what happens, you surrender to a greater cause and dont get entangled in your own desires and attachments.
