Reflection of the first talk of “Approaching the Dharma – Fundamentals of Buddhism”

In spring 2023, Dharma Drum Vancouver Centre invited Mr. David Listen for a Dharma Talk series, "Approaching the Dharma – Fundamentals of Buddhism," to speak about basic Buddhist concepts and beliefs.
 
Through this talk series, Mr. Listen explains the nature of our sufferings and describes how we can cease them.
 
According to Mr. Listen, sufferings are developed from our lack of awareness to the nature of all beings and things, including ourselves. We often are unable to choose how we react to a favourable or unfavourable event or person. This inability is caused by our agitated mind that is constantly seeking stimulation.
 
Mr. Listen used the analogy of two darts to help us better understand sufferings and how we can deal with them. The first dart refers to an incident or situation that had already happened, whereas the second dart is our emotional reactions towards it. Oftentimes, the true reason of our suffering comes from the second dart.
 
I reflected upon the dart analogy during the discussion session. I found that when an upsetting situation occurs, my immediate reaction is often to assign my own interpretation to it, leading to negative emotions that ultimately cause me to lose my peace of mind. At first, this process seems to be automatic, but when I look carefully, I found that by changing my perspective and how I view the situation, I was able to stop the "second dart" so that I don't continue to extend my own suffering.
 
One way that helped me to have a different view of a situation is to interpret things according to the 3 dharma seals. These include recognizing that unfavourable incidents are also made up of different causes and conditions and are subject to change. From this, I realize that I can actually choose how we interpret hardships and channel positive emotions to help us get through difficulties.
 
The talk was eye-opening and inspiring. I personally benefitted greatly from the dharma class and the discussions held by the Dharma Drum Young People (DDYP) group after each class. Through concept discussion and experience sharing, it motivates me to put theory into practice.
 
As encouraged by Mr. Listen, I will continue to participate in the weekly DDYP Book clubs as my routine practice to continue to cultivate right view.
 
Written by Monica Ho 2023.6.30
Photo: Dharma Drum for Young People