I’ve recently been reading a lot of Lama Yeshe’s work and although I don’t believe he’s the greatest Buddhist teacher for modern America (check out Chogyam Trungpa if you want the old stuff or Ethan Nichtern’s ID Project for the modern versions), he had a really good grasp on our psyche as a culture (mainly our materialistic, consumption-driven suffering). There’s one phrase that he uses really often that I’ve really come to love. He say’s, almost 3 or 4 times on every page, “Check Up!”. It usually comes after he makes a bold statement, like: “All the evidence we need (to end our suffering) is available in our own life and in the lives of others. CHECK UP!”
In our culture we’re use to hearing “Check it out”, but “Check up!” not only brings to mind the act of not just passively reviewing the given material but actually following through with what we’ve learned, it also reminds us of a doctor’s appointment, a check-up. I would bet that a lot of the things we do in our lives and things we take for granted as our daily actions and beliefs could use a doctor’s appointment.
How better off would we be if looked at each taken for granted thought and action we make throughout the day? This can apply to everything. I practice a lot of things in my daily life (drums, meditaion, cooking) and although I feel I may understand whyI choose to practice them or the benefits associated with them, when I really check up on the subject it deepens my practice and gives more meaning to it. Sometimes I realize that I don’t benefit from the given practice at all, or at least in ways that I wish to benefit from them. I’m an ardent supporter of Obama, so much so that I’ve been in some very loud and intense debates, but I can’t say that I’ve really checked up on all of his policies and decisions.
Thich Nhat Hahn says that when we really look at the value and benefits of everyday actions, even the ones we really take for granted like breathing, we become more aware of the beauty of it and in return we become more grateful. I think it’d be awesome to be honestly grateful that you can breathe. It can’t hurt, right?
I think it’s time we bring the Check Up philosophy back. Why just go with the motions when you can understand how they work and what benefit it will make for you and the people around you? I’m going to try and check up at least 3 things I take for granted every day, I suggest you do the same.
In other news Sting is in an awesome video for saving the rain forests.
This video is awesme for 4 reasons-
1. He’s way cooler than Alec Baldwin talking about being a vegetarian.
2. You can hear a live version of Message In A Bottle in the background.
3. Billy Connoly’s face at 1:30.
4. That beard is DOPE!
You can see the video if you scroll down on the right side of this page–>
It’s the first on the list.
