Our lives as human beings are filled with suffering, and from a Buddhist perspective,

inevitable pain. Life is not easy, free or beautiful for the majority of the time, and we as

people are faced with challenges and constant change. Nothing is permanent in the Buddhist

world, and our joy and satisfaction is only momentary, before it is overcome by another wave

of grief. The character in the stimulus is faced with two signs; one representing an ideal life

and one speaking the reality. These two options reflect our own perspectives. We are either

overcome by self-indulgence or we become a victim of self-mortification and denial. It is

through the Buddhist tradition of breaking our repetitive and vicious cycle and finding the

Middle Way between these extremes that we find happiness. If we choose to pursue Buddhist

concepts and perspectives, we should ultimately find ourselves in far better places.

  

The character in the stimulus views the two signs as symbols of welfare. The idealistic post

with neatly printed text is ‘the way life is supposed to be’, whereas the broken, damaged and

dilapidated sign is ‘the way life actually is’. This accurate portrayal is figurative for our fate

and the choice that is almost wholly made for us. We are subject to pain and brokenness,

much like the sign that is looking worse for wear. The correct, unrealistic model that is

depicted on the left-hand side is the stumbling point where we fall in trying to chase a perfect

life, as there is no such thing. The more applicable representation on the right-hand side is

where most of us end up, whether it is a conscious slide or a move against our will. We

submit ourselves to desire and insatiable materialistic wants in all aspects of life, which only

bring us temporary joy, and we remain somewhat dissatisfied with whatever we choose to

invest in.  This discontentment is expressed in Buddha’s understanding of the Three Marks of

Existence; impermanence, change and suffering. Everything that we feel is temporary, as our

goals, aspirations and situations change, and thus we suffer from our own ignorance and life’s

constant changes.

 

The cartoon’s character is a miserable individual himself, and is most likely searching for a

way to free himself of the debts the world has added up on him. A Buddhist would suggest

that he abandoned all of his worldly dreams, as they would never truly bring him bliss, and

adopt a different mindset; to surrender his ego and sense of self and to accept the human

condition. Suffering is inevitable, as the first of the Four Noble Truths states, and the way to

eliminate it is to source where it comes from. Suffering is the result of desire and choice, and

it can be addressed and taken away. We can be far happier people if we simply accept what

we have and force ourselves to look away from what we lack. By breaking the cycle of

negativity and self-inflicted pain, we are released from our own capture. We are all slaves to

our own actions, held by our weaknesses and materialistic wishes. Accepting this fact is the

first step to finding rewards in a Buddhist lifestyle.

 

If the character was to further his initiation to a selfless life, he would most likely look further

into the concept of the Middle Way. This option would figuratively place between the two

signs; it is neither beautifully manicured nor falling in ruins. He would balance his life in the

middle of the extremes, never hitting the ultimates on either side. In order to look into the

Buddhist way of life, he would follow the Eight-fold Path, a series of instructions written by

the Buddha for all people to take up. The character would no longer worry, and would instead

channel his concerns into the action of meditation, ridding himself of impurities. He would

know the truth and would look for an ethical career respecting life and working for the good

of others. The character would resist evil and vow not to speak words of deception or hurt.

By developing altruistic ways, we become instinctively happier and our lives drastically

change for the better.

In following Buddhist teachings, the character would focus and discipline his mind to attract

good karma, leading him to a higher level of understanding and bringing him nearer to the

pure and divine state of nirvana. In Buddhist traditions, all living things die and are reborn

again in the eternal process of samsara, which is only escaped by breaking through to

nirvana, an endless, inexplicably blissful mindset that is the climatic goal that all of one’s

actions hopefully result to. A human’s deeds determine their fate in their future seconds,

minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades and successive lives. We are only the

result of what we have thought, according to the Buddha, and our minds are far more active

than our bodies in Buddhist beliefs. If we can change our thinking, we can change our lives.

The Buddhist perspective of life is inherently negative, however if the Four Noble Truths are

accepted, the Eight-fold Path is followed and the Middle Way engaged, Buddhists have a

much brighter outlook. There is an understanding of what causes dissatisfaction, and that it is

possible to remove all physical desires from our lives in order to liberate ourselves of pain

drawn from ignorance. Life may often resemble a crumbling, battered sign, and we may wish

for it to be perfectly moulded and flawless, however it is the balance between these two paths

that is best for us. The Middle Way keeps us away from falling into both squandering

foolishness and bitter nihilism. If we continue in our good faith, we can progress to Buddhist

rituals like meditation, and embrace the prospects of the Eight-fold Path. If we are lost like

the character in the stimulus, we can find ourselves by disciplining our minds and focusing on

the good in life. We can aspire to reach nirvana and break our chains of suffering. Life is

unsatisfactory, but it can also be fulfilling if we accept the human condition and look at our

world through Buddhist eyes.

By Stephanie Palmer.