In this episode, we explore what it means to be a spiritual warrior. We look at what Buddha described as the real enemy of living beings is and how we can help all living beings. Buddha taught that our only real enemy is our mental afflictions, such as our habits of anger, attachment, jealousy and selfishness. These destroy our inner peace and cause us to harm others. As the Buddhist Master, Shantideva, said:

"Enemies such as hatred and craving

Have neither feet nor hands,

And are neither brave nor intelligent.

How, then, have they enslaved me?"—Shantideva

First we study the remedies for our mental afflictions. For example, patience and compassion overcomes anger and cherishing others remedies selfishness. This week, we try to battle our habit of selfishness. We put on the armor of compassion, and, with mindfulness, we remember to cherish others instead of following selfish intention.

Becoming A spiritual Warrior

1. Identify the enemy (our mental afflictions such as anger, attachment and selfishness)
2. Put on the armor of compassion.
3. Hold fast to the weapon of mindfulness and battle our mental afflictions.

"When practitioners battle their afflictions, they must persevere as they become proficient in two things—taking defensive precautions and thus avoiding a wound to their mind, and, on the offensive, destroying the afflictions by applying their remedies."

-Je Tspngkhapa

"Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles." --Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

Better than one hundred years lived

Lazily and lacking in effort

Is one day lived

With vigor and exertion.

--Buddha, The Dhammapada,

References

Buddha. The Dhammapada, translated by Gil Fronsdale. Chapter 8, Verse 112.

Je Tsongkhapa. Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, Volume 2. Pages 181-208. Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Joshua Cutler, Editor-in-Chief, and Guy Newlan, Editor.