Appreciation; Spiritual Progress
LACK of appreciation starves us of joy and closes us off from learning. If we fail to take notice of the things that make our life possible then we may all too easily think we are the center of the universe and our needs are more important than those of others.
The fact that we are able to breathe, are able to be conscious, and that we have life is truly a remarkable thing. There are countless small things without which our lives would be dramatically different if even existing at all. If we take the time to open up our lives to all the subtle things upon which we depend, we are able to experience appreciation, which allows us to experience joy.
An open and appreciative life realizes that every experience is an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to change.
“He later planted the roots of good, and became able to see many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas. He made offerings to them, respected them, honored them, and praised them.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter I)
In a previous life Maitreya was named Fame-Seeking because he was attached to gain and did not take seriously the study of the Sutras. Even when he did study he forgot much of what he learned, he was focused on himself.
When we become so attached to our own self, ignoring the contributions of countless others to our very existence, when we forget to express gratitude for the things we have been given, we are forgetting the teachings of the Dharma given by the Buddha. We become like Fame-Seeking.
However, just as the sutra says, we can plant the roots of good, we can open ourselves up to appreciate the many ways the universe supports our life. When we look around us with the mind of appreciation then we to will be able to see countless Buddhas who surround us and who support us.
