Gyalwang Drukpa XII - Everyday enlightenment: the essential guide to finding happiness in the modern world

The Essential Guide to Finding Happiness
in the Modern World

HIS HOLINESS

The Gyalwang Drukpa

with Kate Adams

RIVERHEAD BOOKS

a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

New York

2012

RIVERHEAD BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

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Copyright 2012 by His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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ISBN: 978-1-101-57785-1

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ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

A pilgrimage to travel to holy sites is traditional among believers of various spiritual traditions. Christian pilgrims go to Bethlehem, Jews go to Jerusalem, Muslims to Mecca, and we Buddhists walk on the worlds rooftop, the Himalayas, to the various sites blessed by the presence of the Buddha and the generations of enlightened masters after him.

I love to walk during these pilgrimages. Once in a while, I arrange pad yatra, meaning foot journeys or walking meditations, for my students and friends. On these foot journeys, we spend a few weeks walking through mountains and valleys together. Often, we pick up plastic bottles and other garbage along the way and visit remote villages that rarely get to see outsiders.

These are journeys from self to selflessness. We are able to observe life at a gradual pace and realize the beauty in simplicity, in having enough food to keep us going and shelter over our heads at night. We accept whatever comes our way. We know that we are a part of nature, we are nature. Instead of pressing on the accelerator and absentmindedly rushing through the details of life, we can look around at the way others live, the way people interact and the way the sun rises and sets. In the end, it is just me and my consciousness, looking at each other, without fabrication.

It is my hope that we may walk together for a little while along your own uncommon path. Perhaps you will join, in your own life, what I jokingly call the Turtle Club. I started this group for my friends and students who could not walk as fast as their own groups while on pad yatra. And over time I have realized how good it is to be in the Turtle Club, how, really, Id like to be their chairman!

I love the modern world; we have so many opportunities to be generous and inspire each other. But in the day to day it is easy to rush without paying much attention or taking the time to appreciate just how precious our life is. Our minds become wild and restless. We run toward some future hope or dream, or away from things in our past. We lose our connection with life, with ourselves, and forget to enjoy the journey. Or we begin to lose faith in the world around us; there are so many problems to think about, we put our blinders on and stop seeing what is right there, on the doorstep, what we can do to make a difference. We become attached to our rigid view of life, how we like things to be. But when the world doesnt fit in with our wishes and desires, we become frustrated and stubborn, we forget how to bend and be flexible, and life becomes difficult.

I feel that we should sometimes take a break from the fast track and slow down to look around us. This is why I like to often think of the Turtle Club. When we slow things down, it turns out we have more time to do the things that really matter, we can look around and appreciate all the details, we feel connected with our own body, our own mind, with all the people in our life, and with the world around us. Because everything in this life is connected; its a case of how we see and appreciate those connections, how we cherish them. And to do that, we need to learn how to take things a little easier and take in the scenery of life. Its easier to walk with others at a relaxed pace, and often we have better stamina in the long run. We can chat along the way, noticing what catches our attention and really inspires us, and we have time to inspire others too. Right now this gentle, middle path doesnt often get the best press; it is a competitive world with pressure to be the best, when really life is about doing your best, today, because that is when it really counts.

Reading this book is your opportunity to take a break from the fast track of life and have a look around, to further your understanding, connect with yourself and then with others. You may begin to discover or get to know more deeply your inner cause and what you truly want to achieve. In essence, this is a gentle reminder to live your life with compassion, to be kind to yourself so that you may be kind to others. It will help calm your wandering mind and let go of your own and others judgments and comparisons.

When we slow down to let go of judgments, we can truly observe the world and develop understanding of it. It is understanding that is the essence of all that is good in our lives and in the world around us. When we begin to look at others with understanding, we can put ourselves in their shoes, see things from their point of view and know that we are all in the same boat. Then a great sense of freedom opens up. Right now so many people live in fear or with an underlying anxiety. We live in a world in which the idea of control is very important; either we are under the control of others or we want to be the ones in control all of the time; it is a constant battle that never brings freedom or happiness, but rather expectations and disappointments. Husbands are in control of wives; wives are in control of husbands. Parents control their children, and now, more often, children control parents. We have forgotten how to be free and to be ourselves; or as soon as we are by ourselves, we feel lonely or sadwe have to look ourselves in the face and worry about what we might see.