This early teaching of the Buddha, The Better Way to Live Alone, is not what it appears to be. Listen closely; there's more than meets the eye.
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Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone, by The Buddha.
At first glance this earliest teaching of the Buddha on living fully in the present moment looks like one is meant to suit up in a brown robe, find a solitary cave and isolate there; however, "the better way to live alone" doesn't mean to isolate oneself from society or community.
In brief, “the better way to live alone” means to leave behind the regrets of the past which is gone, let go of the anxieties of the future which hasn’t arrived, and live fully in the present moment without being attached to that either. This is the practice of freedom. Unburdened from the lizard, mouse and monkey in our mind we can practice the better way to live alone right where we are.
My teacher, the venerable Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh prepared a discourse on this sutra which you might enjoy contemplating.
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Production Team: Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
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