Path to Freedom - Right Vision

Problems in life start when we are born. Otherwise, if we had not been born, would we be subjected to aging, sickness and death? Instead of seeing life's unsatisfactorily, many of us see its problems as something good, even desirable. Many people and even monks during the Buddha's time saw no fault in enjoying sensual pleasures as much as possible.

Such indulgence in one's desires is very easy to practice, even animals can have their enjoyment too. By choosing to ignore such problems, they only look to fulfill their happiness. But their apparent happiness is just an illusory, a cover for a host of unpleasantness such as worry, anxiety, boredom, jealousy, anger, grief and depression that permeate their daily life and relationships around them. This way like a millipede walking around and round along the hoop, we will not be able to find an end to life's problem in the cycle of rebirth, which is never ending.

Ignorance is the problem that is the starting point of the problem of existence itself. For those of us who realize problems arising as problems, some are deluded enough to search for external solutions i.e. praying, propitiating gods and deities, or consulting astrologers. That is why right understanding is crucial as a start, otherwise, we would not be able to further uncovering what the Buddha had taught us.

Right Vision is the first factor to understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering as taught by the Buddha. It is the keynote of seeing things as they really are - there really are big problems confronting us - like the impermanence, loss and decay, as well as dying.

For instance, in walking along a road we have to use our eyes to see where to go, which part to tread on. This is different from using the eye of knowledge, which does not depend on our opinions and biases, likes or dislikes, but rather what is right according to the Dhamma - law of Nature which is self-existent, not the property of anyone nor any one religion, being neither religious belief nor prayer.

We always see it wrongly and that is why we can't arrive at the right solution to the problems of existence which the Buddha had found for Himself in search for the end to suffering, as encapsulated in the Four Noble Truths. Indeed the Buddha Himself at one point after His enlightenment thought it would be a waste of time to teach anybody.

In the first place, we hold such a strong illusion and view which are hard to remove - of ourselves as a permanent entity. Equally hard to remove is our attachment and clinging to this being we identify as "I", "Myself" and "Mine" since from birth. So much that it blinds us to the Buddha's truth of suffering: seeing what is impermanent as permanent, although everything and even our body is changing from one moment to another.

Whoever maintains this wrong view cannot be call a true Buddhist. And until we can call ourselves as one, we have to practice to see things as they really are.